Sokka's Worst New Year's Ever
by ghostdominion6
Summary: Final Chapter Out Now: '10…9…8…7…6…5…'
1. Welcome To Omashu

Chapter 0: Welcome to Omashu

"I am King Bumi, and I am here to ask you a question: Is an Earthbender not entitled to the soil of the Earth? 'No,' says the Earth King in Ba Sing Se, 'it belongs to the Dai Li.' 'No,' says Guru Pathik, 'It belongs to the Avatar.' 'No,' says Azula, 'it belongs to the Fire Nation.' I rejected these answers. Instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose… Omashu."

Xin Fu listened to this as he entered the corrupt city. He had been hired by the Dai Li to stop King Bumi and this fiendish hell-hole. He was allegedly creating an advanced army of clone soldiers. Poor Xin Fu didn't know the half of it.

He managed to infiltrate Bumi's office, and came upon a mysterious structure. A label read, "Vita-Chamber." Xin Fu turned it on and instantly, in Ba Sing Se, numerous people were brought back to life. He didn't know this, of course. Frankly, he didn't care. He wouldn't be needing it.

He walked through a large door and froze. He was overlooking a large room containing thousands upon thousands of people. The thing was, they didn't act human. They seemed as if they were brain-dead.

Xin Fu had heard stories about these things. They couldn't be anything else. They were zombies. He had to report back to the Dai Li. He turned around, but came face to face with a large, monstrous being. It was dressed up like the Blue Spirit, and it had a drill for a right hand. Xin Fu never even had time to scream. The drill impaled his stomach, grinded up all of his internal organs, and the "Big Blue Spirit" punched him into unconsciousness.


	2. Project Sokka

Chapter 1: Project Sokka

"Eyes are still dilating." "He's overreacting to the medicine!" "Check the dosage; that shouldn't be happening." "…..That doesn't work!" "You have a call, sir." "One moment. Hold the line and check his blood pressure." "System crashing." "Damn it, grab the crash card!" "….Raise the pressure to 200, no, 300." "We can't raise the pressure to 300. That would kill him!" "He's right. He's alive, but we're moving too fast." "….We need to stabilize him before progressing." "There's no time." "He's unstable. Pressing now would be a mistake." "We got no choice." "...Fine, set to 300. You'll feel…. a little pinch…….now."

This was all Sokka remembered as he sat up on the hospital bed. There had been some complications during the surgery it seemed, but he was all right now. He looked around the devastated hospital room. Blood was splattered everywhere, but no bodies were around. He thought back to how he ended up here. Santa Claus had murdered his family and friends. He killed the jolly old fat man and was shot the next morning.

And then there was Toph. Her blurred face had been the last thing he saw. He now knew that he loved her.

He couldn't think about that now, though. He had to get out of here. Sokka walked out of the room and into the lightless hallways.

Sokka's injuries from the bullet were severe, but surprisingly nonlethal. The sniper bullet missed his heart by half an inch. It had bounced off of his rib cage and left through his arm. Right as the bullet made impact with Sokka, he must have stepped downward onto the road. That sudden movement had saved his life. Of course, Sokka would have the stitches for a long while.

Outside of the room, Sokka heard talking. He crouched behind a water fountain and saw two armed guards, both clutching automatic machine guns, heading toward the exit.

"Let's report back to base. This building is secured." One said.

"Roger that."

Sokka followed the men, encountering numerous dead bodies scattered around the floor. They had numerous gun-shot wounds, and dried blood was stained over their mouths. Had they been drinking blood? The corpses were clad in doctor outfits, which made it ever stranger. Not many doctors would drink human blood.

The men left the building and earth-bended themselves out of the area. Sokka was now in an abandoned section of Ba Sing Se. More bodies were scattered around on the ground. One figure slowly stood up.

"Are you alright?" Sokka asked hesitantly. The figure turned around and lunged for the water-tribe warrior. Blood was splattered across the figure's mouth as well. Sokka performed a roundhouse kick, knocking the creep down. He then fled the area and headed to his home in a 'living' section of Ba Sing Se.

**IN THE THRONE ROOM OF BA SING SE…….**

The Dai Li approached the Earth King.

"Sir, the incident has been contained."

"Excellent. And has Xin Fu returned?" the Earth King asked.

"No. He has yet to report anything, in fact."

"Damn. Well, ensure that no more zombies enter this city."

"Sure thing, Your Highness."

Under Lake Laogai, numerous people escaped from a newly-opened vita-chamber. They had died only a few days before, but somehow, they were back alive. Out from the chamber stepped Teo, Ty Lee, Aang, Smellerbee, Longshot, Mai, Haru, Katara, and Azula. Whoever had activated this vita-chamber had just brought everybody back to life; Bioshock style. They each walked out and headed back to their vacation home. If only they had remained dead for one more day...


	3. The Eve of the War

Chapter 2: The Eve of the War

King Bumi had sent his "minions" to a hospital in the outskirts of Ba Sing Se in order to distract the government from the true attack. At the start of the New Year tonight, he would send his Blue Spirits and zombies directly through the gates. Not only were the Blue Spirits powerful, but they were able to fuse into a much larger form. The Earth nation capital would no longer be standing by this time tomorrow….

The first thing Sokka saw as he entered the vacation house was Zuko and Jet screaming at each other.

"What do you mean, 'I was supposed to buy dinner?' It was your time to buy food." Jet yelled. He spoke with a stereotypical homosexual lisp. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

"I took Toph to her Earthbending class yesterday!" Zuko screamed.

"Yeah, well, I listened to her OOC feelings last night."

"Go to hell!"

"Screw you!"

Jet pouted directly out the door, not noticing Sokka. Zuko ran to his room and started sobbing uncontrollably.

Sokka, disturbed as hell, sat down on the couch. Despite the damage Santa had done to the house a few days ago, everything looked the way it had before. How cliché.

A minute later, Sokka's heart skipped a beat as he saw Toph enter the room. She looked as if she had been crying for the past few days. Suddenly, Toph felt Sokka's presence and turned towards him in disbelief. More tears formed in her eyes, and she ran towards the Water-tribe warrior. She hugged him tight, worrying that this may just be a dream.

"Sokka, I thought I lost you." She sobbed.

"It's okay Toph. Everything is going to be alright." Sokka said as he patted her back. Try as he might, (and to the Tokka shippers' disappointment,) he couldn't admit his true feelings. Something, possibly cliché, was holding him back.

Meanwhile, nine figures walked towards the vacation house. They all remained silent. A few nights ago, when faced with the terrible incident that had claimed their lives, they each showed the worst sides of themselves. Azula had resorted to cannibalism, which was surprisingly plausible for her character. Katara had shown off her immoral side numerous times. Haru had shown off his uselessness. Mai had shown her gothic clumsiness. Longshot… well, he showed off his ability to be completely useless. Smellerbee made out with a guy she barely even knew. Aang displayed his cowardice and unworthiness of having the woman he "loved." Ty Lee had shown what happens to people who make unwise decisions. Teo, well, he wasted a few whole paragraphs by simply including himself.

Eventually, conversation spread throughout the poor souls.

"So, uh, Katara, do you…. want to continue where we "left off" once we get back?" asked Aang shyly. Katara looked away from him.

"Why the hell would I do that? You practically gave me up in order to survive!" shouted Katara.

"Well, I ended up dying anyways. Besides, my death gave you time to escape." Aang declared.

"I'm not talking to you."

"Sorry, but you just did!"

Katara and Aang continued to yell at each other until Haru stepped in.

"Come on, guys. We all may have died, but the gods have decided to give us a second chance. We should be celebrating, not fighting." He said.

"Maybe the Earth peasant is right. We should go home and….party." said Azula cautiously. In reality, she was hoping that no one would remember what she had done that night.

At long last, they reached the front door. Upon hearing the door open, Toph let go of Sokka and prepared for any possible combat. The nine figures walked into the house, and Toph recognized the footsteps. She gasped and ran towards them. Sokka soon followed. Everyone, except for Azula, hugged the Water-tribe warrior and the Earthbender.

"Guys, I thought you died! How the hell are you back to normal?" Sokka asked. He glanced slightly at Longshot. "It's not common to recover from being terribly mauled by a fat guys' sleigh, or to be cured of slight… decapitation."

Everyone got reacquainted and found out that it was New Year's Eve. Zuko joined in as well. He had finally stopped crying, although some sniffles escaped occasionally. Sokka decided to keep the whole ordeal with the sniper a secret in order to keep everyone else calm.

Later on that day, everyone decided to get snacks for the New Year's Eve party. This would be a night they would never forget. Well, they were right about that.

Sokka stayed at home and fell asleep. He needed some rest. In his dream, he found himself listening in on some strange conversation.

"Is this really a good idea? I mean, the government is already hot on your trail."

"Why should I care about what you think? I believe that man you hired failed to murder every one of your targets. Even his henchmen couldn't succeed, and they had futuristic weapons! Besides, no preparation could prepare them for this."

"Whatever. I'm gonna watch the 'Western Air Temple.' It's about time Nick did something semi-right."

"Come back here, woman! DON'T YOU IGNORE ME! GET BACK HERE, S..."

By the time Sokka woke up, the party was just about to begin. That's really too bad...


	4. CloverSokka

Chapter 3: CloverSokka

Unbeknownst to the Earth nation capital, Bumi's forces were steadily approaching. The Blue Spirits led the way, with the zombies climbing inside of them. The Blue Spirits would break through the city's walls, fuse together, and then release the zombie swarm. Bumi was determined to take over Ba Sing Se, and by God, he was going to do it. Even if the Earth King had some type of "super" weapon, nothing could save the city.

The Blue Spirits eventually saw a huge statue of the Earth King, which stood directly on the other side of the city's walls. They were almost there.

In less than an hour, the New Year would be ushered in.

In one hour, a countless amount of people would be dead.

Zuko thought about Jet all night. He still hadn't returned home. All Zuko wanted to do was apologize to Jet and look towards the future.

Ty Lee, Smellerbee, and Mai bobbed for tomato carrots for a majority of the party.

Longshot played darts alone, as he was never a very sociable person.

Teo went back up onto the roof, this time to finalize putting up New Years decorations. He wore a bullet-proof vest this time. He could never be too careful.

Aang constantly tried to get Katara to forgive him, but she was stubborn as hell.

"Katara! I told you before. I'M SORRY!" the Avatar cried. She just turned around and walked away. Eventually, he gave up and walked over to Sokka, who was staring blankly across the room.

"Hey, Sokka. You okay?" Aang asked.

"Hm? Yeah. I'm okay." In reality, Sokka was busy deciphering the dream he had. It had given him a major headache. The dream took place in a fancy dining room. A woman had been talking to a very old man. The girl seemed terribly familiar; like a lost friend or something. He tried to focus on her face. Closer, closer…

"Hey Sokka." The Water-tribe warrior was kicked out of his thoughts as he heard Toph call his name. He smiled and waved, but he couldn't reply back. It was like his voice had gone.

Out of nowhere, Katara arrived and grabbed Toph's arm.

"C'mon Toph. Let's get away from Aang." Katara said. Toph waved as she was dragged away.

Aang frowned, but looked up at Sokka suddenly. A huge grin appeared on his face.

"You like Toph, don't you, Sokka?" Aang asked in a mocking tone. Sokka turned his head and halted an approaching blush.

"What! I do not!"

"Sure. Hey," Aang said nudging Sokka's shoulder, "I think she likes you too. You're a grown man. Go ask her out or something. No need to feel embarrassed."

Sokka stood in silence as Aang continued to stare at him. Luckily, Haru barged into the conversation.

"Hey, you guys. Have any of you seen Suki at all. I mean, she didn't die, but no one has seen her since Christmas Eve. I'm starting to get worried." Haru said.

"Maybe she stumbled into a plot-hole. That seems pretty likely." Aang replied.

"Yeah, probably. Well, I'm gonna continue to avoid Azula. I'm not intent on getting my guts ripped out again." Haru, clutching his stomach, then walked away. Sokka tried to escape from the room, but Aang stopped him.

"C'mon, Sokka. If you date Toph, Katara may be too distracted to remember what I did that night." Aang pleaded.

"I'm pretty sure she'll still remember that you were too cowardly to protect her. She has a tendency to hold grudges against people who have betrayed her trust." Sokka said. On the other side of the room, Zuko, who was standing next to the fruit punch table, stumbled. The table was knocked over with him, and he was drenched in juice. He started to sob once again.

Meanwhile, Katara and Toph had made their way to the roof. Teo was still busy with the decorations.

"Katara, what are some ways to know if someone likes you?" Toph asked timidly.

"If they don't give you up to a fat man holding a boom-stick" Katara said without looking at Toph. She was still pissed as hell at Aang. Toph frowned and, noticing the sarcasm in Katara's voice, shut her mouth. Eventually, she walked back down the stairs.

Outside, Azula looked towards the sky. She felt an imminent danger closing in on everybody. She thought about whether she should warn anybody, but decided against it. Why should she help these imbeciles? Azula fled from the area and headed for a train on the other side of the city.

The Earth King, locked away in his castle, pushed aside the incident with the zombies. He believed that nothing could touch him. Besides, he did have a secret weapon. If Bumi wanted the city, he would never get it. The Earth King would either own the city, or destroy it way before anyone could take over.

Sokka thought about what Aang had said. What did he have to fear? All he had to do was ask Toph out on a date. If she didn't like him the way he liked her, then she would probably let him down softly. Now was the time to act. Sokka saw Toph drinking from a spare bowl of punch. He walked over, as confident as he would ever be. Not even cliché could stop him now.

He was wrong, of course.

At the exact moment he reached Toph, a huge explosion sounded throughout the city. The house shook, and Zuko shrieked in terror.

"What the hell was that?" Haru asked. His body was shaking violently.

A scream sounded from the roof, and everybody hurried up the stairs. They all saw Katara and Teo pointing at a black cloud of smoke rising over a mile away. It seemed to be emanating from the city's walls.

Everyone stared in awe at the scene for a moment until another explosion occurred. Another chunk of the wall, not too far from the smoke, blasted into oblivion.

"Everyone get downstairs!" screamed Aang and Sokka. The whole party ran as fast as they could. Zuko whimpered, Mai sighed, and Ty Lee sobbed.

"Is this some kind of terrorist attack?" asked Aang.

"I'm not sure. Let's just get out of here!" panted Sokka.

Everyone made it to the street relatively unharmed.

"What's happening!" shouted some random passerby who was running frantically. Citizens of Ba Sing Se, from the rich to the poor, exited their houses in an attempt to discover what was going on. Sokka turned towards his friends. Most of them were screaming for their mommies.

"Everyone must remain calm. Everything is going to be okay!" Sokka shouted. No one seemed to hear him.

"Sokka's trying to say something!" boomed Toph. Everyone immediately became silent. Before Sokka could say another word, a third explosion sounded out through the night. All eyes saw a fast approaching object being hurled through the sky. It crash landed in the middle of the street. It was the head of the Earth King's statue. Panic filled everyone once more.

"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!" cried Haru.

This was only the beginning. Things were about to get much worse…


	5. 28 Minutes Later

Chapter 4: 28 Minutes Later…

"You're Royal Highness. We… have some bad news…"

"What is it?"

"Um…… it's kind of… really bad."

"Well, c'mon, spit it out!"

"Uh… well…. You seeeeeeeee…"

"TELL ME BEFORE I BANISH YOU!"

"Largebulkingmonstershavesmashedthroughourimpenetrablewallsandarenowdestroyingeverythinginsightandwellfranklytheyarewaytoobigtodefeat.  
Tomakemattersworsetheyarenowfusingtogethertomakeamuchlargerbeingthusrenderingthemselvesunbeatablewebelievethishassomethingtodowithkingbumibutwecan'tbeentirelysureandi'mreallyscaredsirandwe…."

"SHUT UP! Where have they infiltrated?"

"So far, they have only reached the poor district of Ba Sing Se."

"Well, the solution is simple. Quarantine the whole poor district. Blockade it from the rest of the city."

"What do we do about the inhabitants of that district?"

"What inhabitants? There are no inhabitants in the poor district…"

"But, you're Majesty; the poor district holds half of Ba Sing Se's citizens."

The Earth King looked at his servants with a piercing glare.

"As far as we're concerned, they do not exist. If we do anything major in order to help, the rest of the world will find out. They will think that this grand city is not as strong as it's cracked up to be. They will think of me as weak."

"You'd rather let Earth nation citizens die than run the risk of harming your reputation?"

"It is for the good of this city."

"People are dying!"

"Blockade the area. Maybe some people will escape in time. Of course, ensure that NO one leaves the city. If all goes well, no one will die…."

"I highly doubt that…"

The servants walked away. They now had to get the government to lock thousands of people in a terrorist-infested area….

Teo looked at everybody in the group. Azula wasn't with them. He had never witnessed Azula when she went crazy a few nights ago. Something about the fire-nation princess made Teo feel like a man inside. He was determined to find her. Before he could say something, though, a strange noise filled the air.

A sleigh was flying through the night sky. Teo screamed and cowered in his wheelchair. Sokka gulped. He knew who they were.

They were Santa's elves. The same people who had tried to assassinate him on Christmas morning. What the hell were they doing here? Were they responsible for the explosions?

One elf stood up and started talking.

"Attention, Earth nation citizens. We are quarantining this part of the city. You have exactly….. thirty seconds to escape to the rich section of town. Oh yeah, and ten seconds have already passed."

Everyone started screaming as they saw a giant wall start to fall at the road connecting the rich and poor sections of town. They all rushed to escape.

"Everyone, hang on!" shouted Sokka. He grabbed Toph's hand, who then grabbed Aang's hand. With everyone clinging to each other, Sokka led the way. Faster, faster, faster…

Right as they got to the dividing point, Sokka's heart sank. They weren't going to make it. At least someone would be left behind.

"Go on without me, Sokka! I'm holding everyone back. Besides, I need to find somebody." Teo shouted over the numerous cries. He let go and headed towards the opposite direction.

"TEO!" called Katara, who had been holding his hand. At the last moment, everyone jumped forward. A loud crash sounded as the wall hit the ground. Sokka glanced up and smiled to himself. He had gotten everyone through, besides Teo.

"C'mon, let's get moving guys." Aang said as he stood up.

The group walked down the street, taking note of all the elves on the rooftops. They all held sniper rifles. Whatever had infiltrated the city was definitely lethal. Of course, it wasn't like they would ever need to know what it was….

Teo wandered around the poor district. Several other citizens had failed to escape in time. They now had to challenge fate out here. Teo followed them to a train station. No trains were leaving or arriving, though. A huge crowd had surrounded a small hut.

"Excuse me, sir. What's going on in there?" asked Teo. A skinny man with a gray beard and small head turned around and answered the boy.

"A girl was found with a bite wound by the destroyed section of the wall. The doctors are saying that it is a zombie wound."

"A……zombie wound?"

"Yes, a zombie wound. It seems that some sort of terrorist group has created some giant beasts with drills for hands. These creatures are not only deadly on their own, but also serve as carrying devices. Zombies hide away in them and escape when the time is right. If I'm not mistaken, these beings are only 5 miles away from our location currently. I don't see why barricades are being put down, though. These monsters smashed through the outer wall. They could smash through anything…"

"Is the girl going to be alright?"

"Zombie bites will turn the person unlucky enough to get them into zombies themselves. Depending on the person, it can take anywhere from two minutes to over a week before they transform." The man sniffed Teo. "I sense that you are very vulnerable to the infection. Don't come into contact with any infected person's blood, excrements, or…." Teo hurried into the hut before the man could finish, "their saliva…"

Teo gasped as he saw Azula sitting in the hut, surrounded by scientists.

"Her blood hasn't reacted to the infection yet!"

"How! Even if she has a strong immune system, her blood should have already started to fuse with the virus!"

Teo hid behind a large piece of lab equipment, completely out of sight. One of the scientists looked at the others.

"Maybe her immune system is too strong."

"So?"

"I believe that she is immune to the zombie virus."

"Holy… are you sure?"

"I'm almost positive. First of all…" He took out a needle and drew blood from Azula's arm.

"Okay. I will go back to my house and study this. For the rest of you, take a blood sample from everyone outside. Look for more people immune to this virus." All of the scientists walked out of the building. Teo rolled his wheelchair over to Azula, who had just awoken. Her eyes had turned a foggy-green color, similar to Toph's eyes.

"What? Where the hell am I?" Azula asked. Teo put his fingers to her lips.

"Shhh… Everything's gonna be alright." He whispered seductively. Teo then placed his lips over hers. Azula's eyes widened. She thought about fighting back, but cliché had beaten her. She leaned into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Teo's neck…

Everyone sat around a campfire. They all remained silent. Cries for help came from beyond the wall, but nobody could do anything. Katara worried about Teo. The boy was probably terrified right now; trapped in a danger-infested area with no one to hold.

Toph had fallen asleep; her head sitting on Sokka's shoulder. Aang sat as close to Katara as he could. She didn't seem to notice him.

Haru, Mai, and Ty Lee sat together, hoping that everything would be all right. Longshot, Smellerbee, and Zuko worried about Jet. He had been missing for the longest time.

Santa's elves were still surveying the whole area with their sniper rifles. The creatures had remained out of sight. Well, they wouldn't be for much longer…

Teo's and Azula's tongues wrestled each other. After a few minutes, they both separated for air. Azula saw Teo's eyes turn red.

"Teo?"

The boy in the wheelchair jerked his head upwards at an alarming rate. Azula gasped and moved backwards. Teo moved in his seat and eventually…… sat up. The paralysis in his legs had gone away.

"Oh my God! You're walking!" Azula said in shock. Somehow, she felt more aroused. Teo walked towards Azula and grasped her head with an enormous amount of strength. She tried to break away but she was too weak.

He bent his head low and started biting Azula's face. She screamed as her face became mutilated. Teo ripped out her flesh furiously and ate it all. His fingernails dug into her arms, revealing the veins and arteries. Eventually, the screaming died down as death slowly constricted Azula. It couldn't have come more slowly for her.

One of the scientists walked into the hut, horrified. He had heard the screaming, but he wasn't prepared for the scene before him.

A boy, dripping with blood, was eating Azula's insides. Her face had been mutilated, and a snippet of skull bone could be seen.

The scientist cried, and Teo turned towards him. The boy jumped and ripped the man to shreds. When he was finished, the boy ran out of the hut. Outside, the crowd of people fled, screaming at the top of their lungs. Teo, now a zombie, uttered a cry into the night. In less than a minute, one "Big Blue Spirit" arrived and picked him up. It was a little surprised to see a zombie all alone. Of course, this was to be expected. Their creator had informed them that when one zombie was discovered separate from the others, the time to strike had arrived.

Numerous other Blue Spirits arrived. It was time to unleash every zombie they had on the citizens of the doomed Earth nation city. Then, the true attack would begin…

The elves had almost drifted off to sleep due to boredom when the first sight of danger arrived. A Blue Spirit seemed to be leading a throng of people.

"OPEN FIRE!" screamed one elf. Everyone, including Sokka and his group, jumped up from their seats. Bullets fired at the being, but nothing seemed to have any effect. It finally reached the wall and used its drill to smash through it. The wall crumbled. Zuko shrieked and cried some more. Zombies rushed through, and the Blue Spirits seemingly disappeared.

One elf called the Earth King's servants. They told of the predicament everyone was now in. The servants informed the Earth King…

"Sir, zombies have smashed through the barricade. What do we do?"

"Have the elves shoot everyone in the general location. We can't take any chances."

"You want to…… kill everyone?"

"How can you be sure they are not zombies?"

"But sir!"

"ENOUGH! GO AND GIVE THE ORDERS!"

The servants left and called the elves to give the grave news…

Sokka held onto Toph's hand as everyone fled from the zombies. Aang grasped onto Katara's arm, who didn't seem to care.

The huge crowd of citizens seemed to merge with the zombies. The elves couldn't tell who their targets were.

"We have no choice. We must kill them all." One elf said.

"This is FUBAR!" shouted another elf as he fired a bullet. A man next to Sokka, perfectly alive and kicking, jerked suddenly and fell to the ground. Bullets flew all over the place, hitting virtually everything…… except for the zombies.

A timid elf took aim at a group of people holding hands. He aimed for a girl with a peculiar hair bun and a greenish headband. She was clutching onto a somewhat muscular boy wearing a blue garment. He seemed somewhat important to the elf. The girl may have been a zombie attempting to devour the familiar boy. He fired, but his hand shook at the last second. Something held him back. A Gothic looking girl jerked backward, stopped in her tracks, and fell to the ground as blood splattered everywhere. No one paid heed to this, except for a girl in an acrobatic outfit, who shrieked as tears fell from her eyes. She was pulled away, and the rest of the citizens stepped on the fallen Goth girl.

The elf felt sick to his stomach. He used to be a professional assassinator. For some reason though, on his last assignment, he lost the will to kill. He had been hired to avenge the death of his leader, Santa Claus. The elf had shot at the target's heart, but he noticed that something was wrong. The boy didn't react in the way his previous targets did. He fell slowly, and as he did so, he seemed to spiritually connect with his surroundings. The boy was going to survive.

But something else was different. A young girl had stepped out of the house and approached the fallen warrior. It was at that moment that the elf thought about his previous targets. They all had to have families, from their mothers to a love interest. No matter how evil they were, somebody loved them. That young girl had taken away his need to kill.

He now realized why he missed his target just a few moments ago. She had reminded him of the young girl. Unless…… could she have been the young girl? The elf knew what he had to do. He needed to help that girl and her friends. He quietly left his post…

The barrage of bullets continued to mow down the seemingly endless amount of figures. Sokka and his group made their way into a building and locked the door. They were all out of breath. Rain started to fall outside.

"They……. Killed…….MAI!!" cried Ty Lee. She sat down and continued to sob uncontrollably.

Aang and Sokka looked out the window and saw as more people were shot down. They both looked away in disgust. Innocent lives were being taken away with the blink of an eye; brushed away like a simple fly.

"WHAT'S……..HAPPENING!?" wheezed Zuko. Smellerbee walked over and started patting him on the back.

"I hope Teo's alright." Katara said.

_"I hope Teo's alright."_ Aang mimicked. "Is he all you ever think about? What about Mai! She's dead now!" Ty Lee cried harder. "I mean, we have bigger things to worry about. Something is smashing through this city and it has unleashed an army of cannibals! A bunch of things dressed in red and green arrived, separated the city, and then took pot shots at us with a FRIGGIN' SNIPER RIFLE! AND ALL YOU WORRY ABOUT IS SOME CRIPPLED KID WHO FEELS NOTHING BELOW THE WAIST!"

Katara got up and ran into a different room, crying hard.

"Smooth." Sokka said.

Aang gave him a death glare, but before he could retort, the gunfire stopped. Sokka peeked out the door and found that the elves were frozen in fear. They were staring at a distant building. Everyone walked out from hiding and saw a huge figure rise from the ground. Zuko gasped. It had a face exactly like the Blue Spirit costume. Smaller figures were forming together, causing it to grow taller. The elves fired at the creature, but the bullets had no apparent effect.

Slowly, the Blue Spirit walked towards the crowd of surviving citizens. It raised its hand, revealing a giant drill.

The running had only begun…


	6. Dread Rising

Chapter 5: Dread Rising

Sokka's brain told him to flee from the area. A Blue Spirit, now taller than the walls of Ba Sing Se, was nearing the area where he stood. Everyone's conscious screamed for them to move. Their feet, though, remained planted on the ground.

Zuko nearly passed out; so much had happened to him in such little time. Aang stared with his jaw hanging as far as it could go. Haru swore to himself. It seemed all hope was gone.

Longshot realized at this precise moment that now was his time to shine. He motioned something to Smellerbee, but she shook her head. He grabbed her and kissed her on the lips. He broke away suddenly and ran through the rain; directly towards the creature.

"NOO!" screamed Smellerbee. Longshot was going to stop the monster in its tracks, even if it meant sacrificing himself. Haru grabbed her shoulder.

"Let him go. He has a job to do. In the meantime, we have to get out of here." He said. He shook Sokka, knocking him out of his trance.

"Right. Follow me, everybody!" Sokka shouted as he grabbed Toph's hand again. He started running deeper into the middle district. Smellerbee looked back towards the beast. Elf army tanks had arrived and were ready to take down the creature. They fired at it, but nothing happened. She caught a glimpse of Longshot as he climbed the Blue Spirit's leg. Another tank fired, causing dust and debris to block him from view. Hopefully, they would see him again.

The elves, though now locked in a fight with the Blue Spirit, still had to prevent anyone from leaving. They had lost sight of Sokka and the group, but that didn't matter. An elf was located on almost every corner of the middle district. The group couldn't stay hidden for long…

In the rich district of Ba Sing Se, mayhem had broken out. News of the invasion had spread fast, despite all of the precautions. Citizens broke into stores and stole numerous supplies of food, water, and tools. People were screaming and running around frantically. No one noticed the large group of undead citizens enter the area.

Zombies ran forward and bit into anyone they could reach. Panic quickly escalated, causing the survivors to make idiotic decisions. Some attempted to punch the zombies to death; others rolled down the street. Blood splattered all over the pavement as more undead legions were formed. In a matter of minutes, most of the rich district was wiped out…

The Earth King was enraged over the announcement his servants had brought to him.

"What do you mean, 'The situation has gotten worse?' How did this happen!?"

"Sir, there was just too much zombies. The elves were overwhelmed. Also, a bunch of large, bulking creatures combined and are now taller than this castle. That further prevented the zombies from being stopped."

"I…. don't…..want….. EXCUSES! GET RID OF THOSE THINGS BEFORE THE NEWS SPREADS OUTSIDE OF THIS CITY!"

"Sir, you don't understand. There are just too much targets! We need more troops!"

"We will need more troops when I declare the need for them. Now, find the zombies. The beast is not our top priority."

"But Sir!"

"If you continue to argue with me, I will offer you as food for the monsters out there."

The servants walked away. The Earth King was sure acting strange. It was as if he…. wasn't the same person anymore. Still, they could not argue against his authority. They called the elves and gave even more confusing news….

Sokka motioned for everyone to crouch by a wall. They had come to a long alleyway. On a rooftop at the other end, another sniper sat. He was smoking a cigarette and stared through the scope intently. He had no problem with killing someone. In fact, he would often torture someone, making their death as painful and humiliating as possible. If anything happened to walk this way, he would bring it down without an afterthought.

"Okay guys. Another sniper is on the roof over there. This is the only open path we can take right now. The way I see it, if we run in a zigzag pattern, then we will have a better chance of making it. So, who wants to go first?" Aang asked.

Sokka stepped forward and raised his hand. "I will go first. If I don't make it, then try to find a safer way past. Don't come back for me. That will put you all in danger."

Toph turned towards him and hugged him.

"Good luck, Sokka." She said as she dug her head into his shoulder. He wanted to tell her he loved her right then and there, but knew that if he did, she would try to convince him out of risking his life. Or else, he would try to convince himself…

Sokka stood up straight, stretched his muscles, and ran out into the open. Immediately, the elf sprang into action. He fired; the bullet flew directly over Sokka's head. The water-tribe boy ran for his life, evading every sniper shot. The elf grew angry. He had let someone get away. That was when he noticed something. Part of someone's arm was hanging out from the wall the boy had emerged from. The missed target must have brought along some friends. The elf aimed for the arm…

"Okay guys, I volunteer to go next." Aang said. He looked at Katara, who just turned her head. He took notice of the worried look on her face. Haru, who was standing right at the edge of the wall, looked towards Aang with an angry look. The bald monk was trying to impress the beautiful water-tribe girl. Haru had always secretly cared for Katara. He now felt jealousy. He took out a love letter he had written to her about a year ago. Something seemed different about it, though. Some letters stood out from the rest of the text. Maybe they were just ink smudges…

Right as he was about to put it away, his right arm went numb. Haru had once heard that a numb arm usually signaled a heart attack. But this was no heart attack. He looked at his arm; blood was gushing from a small wound. Everyone else saw what had happened. Haru's arm had stuck out into the open. The sniper must have seen it…

Haru, seeing the blood, panicked. He started screaming as an incredible sickness overflowed in his body. He had never enjoyed seeing blood, but this made him hate it even more. Not thinking straight, he ran…… past the wall into the open.

The elf smiled as he saw the injured boy running down the alley. With a pull of the trigger, the boy collapsed.

Haru had been shot in the stomach, and coldness embodied him as blood spurted from the bullet wound. Blood flowed up his neck and poured out of his mouth.

"KATARA!" he gagged. More blood shot out from his stomach when he spoke. "I LOVE YOU!" He screamed as well as he could.

"TAKE THE…..NOT…..E……..I…N….My hand." He shouted. Katara screamed out as tears formed in her eyes. The elf, sensing weakness in the remaining targets, allowed them to peek out and see the poor sap. With an increased sense of despair, they would make more mistakes…

Katara slowly looked past the wall and saw a ghastly image. Haru now lay on his back in the middle of an alleyway. Blood was gushing from the dying boy. The rain continued to pour down, combining with the blood and causing it to flow in the gutter. She saw a piece of paper clutched in Haru's hand. Whatever it was, he wanted her to have it. She took her head away from the wall and cried her eyes out. Haru didn't deserve this.

Aang ignored the love calls Haru made to Katara and cried as well. He now felt utterly helpless. Haru had never done anything wrong. In fact, he barely did anything important. Now, the dying boy was no more than ten feet away from him, and he could not offer help of any kind. Haru was going to die a slow and painful death.

Toph sensed Haru's vibrations flicker away and she grew angry. Even though monsters were invading the city, heartless individuals had decided to harass the innocent. Haru had always been a good friend. Sure, he would never win a medal or anything, but he didn't need one. After a moment, Toph had made a decision.

She was going to run across the alley next.

Without a word, she ran past the wall and hurried, in a zigzag, down the street. Sokka, still shocked over Haru coming face to face with his demise, nearly fainted when he saw his love running for her life. He looked up at the roof where the sniper was located. A glint of silver shone as the gun turned. Even in the pouring rain, Sokka could tell what was happening.

The elf had watched Sokka use the scheme Toph was now using. He had let one person escape by using it; he would not allow anymore to. He had turned his gun a few feet diagonally, positioning it on the path in front of the girl. Before he shot, he decided it was time to have "fun" with this next target. His finger slowly pulled the trigger…

Sokka stared in horror at Toph. The gun was aiming in front of her. The bullet would hit her if she stepped any closer.

"TOPH! NO!!" Sokka screamed. It was too late. The elf, hearing the scream, grinned widely as he thought about the "pleasure" he would cause this girl's friends. They would get to watch her die a slow and painful death.

A gunshot fired. The bang seemed to scatter across the whole city. Sokka's eyes widened; Aang covered his ears; Katara cried even more; Ty Lee shrieked; Zuko gasped; Smellerbee looked at the ground. Everyone's heart beat in time with one another's. They all were connected by the same lifeline.

The bullet hit its target. Toph screamed as she fell forward to the ground. The bullet had hit her directly in the right foot. Sokka tried to scream, but nothing came out. He had to help her. He didn't care about the danger. He ran back into the open…

The blind girl attempted to drag herself to the other side. The elf was not done with her yet, though. He fired again; this one hitting her left hand. Toph lay on the street, defenseless against the sniper. The soulless elf fired once more, this time hitting her left ear. He watched as the water-tribe boy grasped the helpless girl. Her head was lying against his chest. If the elf found the perfect position, he could shoot the boy and get a direct headshot on the girl. All of this was a game to him. He positioned the gun at the desired location and grasped the trigger. He slowly pulled down…

A bullet fired through the air and hit its target head-on.

The elf tipped over the railing of the building and fell to the ground. Blood dripped from his head. The cigarette remained in his mouth.

Everyone left the cover and saw the dead elf on the other side of the street. They all then ran over to Sokka and Toph. On the way, Katara felt for Haru's pulse. The boy was dead. Tears fell from her eyes as she picked up the note in his hand. She put it in her pocket and ran forward.

Toph's breathing became heavier by the second. She was losing an enormous amount of blood. If no help could be found in a matter of moments, Toph was going to die.

Sokka held onto her for dear life, sobbing into her hair. Everyone else just watched, helpless. Aang looked around. Somebody had shot the elf. They were not alone….

The Blue Spirit had made its way to the opposite end of the middle district. Strangely, barely any resistance was put against it. What was going on?

Longshot still hung onto the figure. He had actually made it to the monster's waist. That was as far as he was going to go, though.

A figure had jumped across the rooftops at an amazing speed. They wore a black jumpsuit with a black hood, completely blending them in with the night. It glimpsed the boy climbing the beast. Was he trying to defeat it? The figure couldn't allow that...

It jumped on a building closest to the monster, took out a sword, and flung it towards Longshot. The silent boy never saw the blade coming. It stabbed into his hand, causing him to lose his grip.

He winced in pain as blood dripped down, but he did not scream. He continued to hang, seeing as how the sword had pinned him down. The figure took out a second sword and jumped towards Longshot. They sliced his arm off with one fine swoosh.

This time, the boy screamed. He fell towards the ground, but was caught at the last second by the figure. They put him down on the cold pavement. The Blue Spirit was now walking his way.

"Who... are you?" Longshot spoke in pain.

The figure didn't speak. Instead, they turned around and walked away. Longshot, weak as he was, reached for his bow-and-arrow. He prayed that he did not drop it earlier that day. He soon found the weapon and took it out. With his teeth, he pulled back the arrow, and he held the weapon with his remaining hand.

Longshot's last shot was accurate. He hit the figure in the back of the head. The figure's hood fell off, revealing delicate strands of hair. It was too long to be a boy's. A sheet of armor was tucked beneath the hair, explaining why the arrow failed to be lethal.

They turned towards Longshot, revealing a familiar face. The boy gasped; one of his friends had just attacked him.

"Why?" he gasped, although he did not know it, with his final breaths. The figure's delicate lips twisted themselves into a smile, and they walked into the night. Longshot was left out there in the open. Fortunately, he wasn't there for long.

The Blue Spirit had reached him. The last thing Longshot saw was a large sole of a boot heading straight for him.

The boy was crushed completely and totally by a beast weighing over 1000 lbs. He disappeared in a vapor of blood. No body parts could be found if anyone looked.

Meanwhile, in the dark city of Omashu, a man stepped out of a vita-chamber he had activated in what had to be less than twenty-four hours ago. He now knew that Bumi was pure evil and had to be stopped. This man may be the world's only hope…

Xin Fu, whose ass was kicked before, was back for vengeance.

He ran back onto the balcony that had overlooked the zombies, and continued down a new path. Xin Fu noticed that nobody, alive or dead, was here. Eventually, he came to a large door that was locked. He busted it open and saw a figure sitting in a chair.

"King Bumi, you are under arrest." Xin Fu declared proudly. The chair spun around and revealed an extremely happy Bumi. It was like he could never stop smiling. Stitches covered his face, and something in his eyes seemed familiar. Nevertheless, it was Bumi.

"What do you want with me? Have you come for help?"

"Stop wasting my time! I know you have been creating a large army of zombies and hybrid Blue Spirits. Anyways, the Earth King, my leader, has sent me to capture you."

"What treachery is this?! I am your king!"

"I always heard you were a joker. I'm bringing you directly to him. I'd feel scared if I were you…" With that, Xin Fu tackled Bumi, chained his arms together, and dragged him out of Omashu.

"That girl had something to do with this! I know it! Somehow, she has gotten into your head! Please, let me go! I'm not Bumi!"

"Silence yourself, or I will kill you right here and now." Xin Fu shouted. He looked over the man. He did seem incredibly familiar. Maybe Bumi had worked as the King's bodyguard a few years before?

Zuko looked at Toph and felt an increasing sense of dread. He still had feelings for her, despite being emotionally attached to Jet. Toph had always been a healthy young girl. Now, she was in the street, barely hanging onto life. A tear formed in his eye, and he wiped it away. He patted Toph's head comfortably.

"Don't worry, Toph. I'm going for help." He said. He got up and started to head on his way. He needed to find a doctor or someone similar to one. Sokka looked up at him and then back at Toph.

"Wait up, Zuko. I'm going too." He said. He looked at everyone else. "Can you guys protect her? If possible, bring her into a building. Get out of the rain."

Sokka kissed Toph's head and gently passed her to Ty Lee.

"I'll be back, I promise." he said. Sokka and Zuko proceeded to walk into the night. Maybe the rich district would have a doctor.

As everyone attempted to bandage Toph's wounds, Katara took out Haru's note. It read-

Katara,  
You are the mo**S**t beautif**U**l girl I have ever met. Even Zu**K**o, who doesn't adm**I**re anything, would give everyth**I**ng for you. You de**S**erve the best there is.  
I know that you will never **B**e with me, b**U**t I hope that you will be **M**y fr**I**end for a**S** long as possible. I know that you will **M**ake some man very happy **IN** the future. I just hope he **D**eserves you and your intoxicating beauty.

Haru

Katara felt touched by the letter, but perplexed at the same time. Certain letters were darker than others; almost as if there was a secret code hidden on each line. She couldn't worry about that now, though. She needed to help Toph.

Nobody noticed that they were being watched at this exact moment. High up on the rooftops, an elf, clutching a sniper rifle, watched with sadness as the young girl stepped closer to death. He saw the weakness radiating around her. Unlike the boy he had failed to kill, this girl did not show any hopeful signs. She was to die a slow and painful death. He couldn't risk revealing himself now. Besides, there was nothing he could do.

The elf spotted the two boys leaving the group; hopefully, they were going for help. Maybe, he could assist them...

Sokka and Zuko had been able to evade a few more snipers, who looked distracted with something else. The Blue Spirit must still be on the move. No one else could be seen in the middle district. This frightened Sokka. The zombies had not been defeated yet. Their bodies weren't scattered around, and they weren't tumbling around, either. That left only the rich district, which was were Sokka and Zuko were heading.

Hopefully, they could find a doctor who was still alive…

The Earth King stared from the top floor of the castle. He could see the Blue Spirit reeking havoc off in the distance. Screams could be heard from the streets below him. Slowly, a huge grin appeared on his face. It was gone in an instant, though, when his servants arrived.

"Sir, Xin Fu has arrived, and he captured King Bumi. What should we do?"

"Bring him here. I would like to have a talk with him…"

The servants threw King Bumi into the room containing the Earth King. They were told to leave the room as the two kings had a little "chat."

Both were shouting at each other for a few minutes, but then they started whispering. Eventually, the servants were summoned back.

"Take this fiend to the dungeons! I will deal with him when this ordeal is done!"

"No! He's an imposter. I'm the real Earth King! A girl with makeup did this to me! Don't listen to him. NOOOO!" Bumi shouted as he was dragged away. The servants didn't know what to think. They had always been told that Bumi never panicked, even when faced with certain death.

Right as they left the room, the servants heard something peculiar. The Earth King had snorted out a laugh. Not only did he rarely ever laugh, but he positively never snorted. How odd. Maybe that was his victory….call?

Upon stepping into the rich district, the boys felt a chill in the air. It was different from the normal winter cold. It was a dark feeling. Tragedy had already happened.

Zuko stepped forward and spotted a building with a sign bearing a red cross.

"Sokka, look! That must be a doctor's office."

"Let's hope."

They entered the building, and found that all the lights were turned off. All of them except for one. A spotlight was focused on a man clad in the typical doctor's overalls. He seemed to be operating on someone. Sokka's spirits soared….. for the moment.

They stepped closer, and suddenly, another spotlight turned on. A dead body was hanging on the wall; a sword had pinned its chest to the solid surface. The body was hacked up completely. It no longer had a human face.

"WHY….. CAN'T…… I…..MAKE……YOU……BEAUTIFUL!?" the man screamed. He started impaling the body that he had been 'operating' on with a syringe repeatedly. Zuko nearly fainted again. Sokka gasped out loud.

The 'doctor' turned around and stared at Sokka. The water-tribe boy gasped yet again: this man was familiar. He suddenly remembered the surgery he had gone through. This man's face was right there in front of him. Sokka felt sick in his stomach then, but he didn't know why.

"You destroyed my career!" the doctor shouted. "Because of you, zombies flooded my hospital and killed all of my colleagues. I used to be the most revered surgeon in the world. When some disaster fell upon anybody in the world, they would all come flocking to me!"

He stepped closer to the disgusted boys.

"Everyone used to bow before me." He stared at Sokka; his eyes seemed to be clouded. "But not anymore…" he sobbed. He put his hand on Zuko's shoulder.

"When the zombies came, everyone DIED!" he shouted. He then started laughing. "Of course, I have now found a new following." He pointed to a different point of the wall, and another light turned on. A body missing everything from the torso down hung there. It looked like it used to be a girl.

"That was poor Ying. She was ripped apart by the zombies. In fact, only scattered remains were left. Now, many people see death as the ending, but not I. I see death as another opportunity for everlasting beauty! I gathered up what was left of her, such as her cheeks and left eyeball, and constructed a body for her. Sadly, though, without a proper spinal cord, the rest of the body could not be finished. Another thought occurred to me that day. Remodeling the dead is great, but what about the living?"

He pointed to the first figure that had been shown to the boys.

"This is an old colleague of mine. He had survived the initial attack of zombies, and I carried him out. He had been severely injured by a small reactor explosion when the zombies broke in. He was too hideous to look at, so I took the liberty to remodel his facial structure…" Suddenly, the man frowned and anger became evident on his face.

"During the surgery, a complication arrived. I noticed how disgusting his neck looked. It was all burnt and crusty. I then spotted how….. revolting his chest looked. It was….. too big for his head. It was as if his body was an incomplete jigsaw puzzle, or some abstract art. I…… started cutting him open, and I noticed how…. his veins and arteries twisted throughout his body. My patient started screaming. He did not appreciate all the work I put in for him. I started snipping any…. wire inside of him I could find…"

Sokka and Zuko wanted to cry. What had they gotten themselves into?

"More zombies arrived no more than thirty minutes ago. My nurse was bitten on the face. Blood had poured all over, causing her to look inhuman. I strapped her to that table over there and started operating. No matter what I did, though, the blood…… the retched blood….made everything slippery. My scalpel tools slid into the wrong areas." He wiped his forehead with his sleeve, which was extremely bloody.

"I could not bring back her beauty! AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULTS! IF YOU BOYS DIDN'T ENTER, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN DISTRACTED FROM MY MIRACULOUS WORK!" The man walked back over to what used to be the nurse and impaled it once more.

Sokka glanced at Zuko. They both knew that this man had become seriously deranged. Of course, he may be the only one who could help Toph.

"Uh, excuse me sir, you removed a sniper bullet from me sometime between yesterday and Christmas. We have a friend who is severely injured. Do you… possibly have anything that we can use to help her?" Sokka asked cautiously. Immediately, he knew that he had made a mistake. First of all, he had asked for some advanced technology the man had. Second, he had said that he didn't want the doctor to perform the operation. This maniac wouldn't take lightly to that.

"So, I save your life, and you thank me by coming here to try and take my surgical machines! One was already stolen by some girl in a black jumpsuit... Sure, I will give it to you. It's in the box right…… here!" The doctor sprang forward and flung numerous syringes full of blood that had come from the infected nurse. Sokka narrowly avoided them. Part of his shirt was cut, but his body was untouched.

"Zuko! Find the machine! I'll hold him off!" Sokka yelled. Zuko nodded and sprinted to the other side of the room. The doctor barely noticed him; his eyes were locked onto Sokka. He threw more syringes, these ones empty. One hit Sokka in the leg, and he winced in pain. He yanked it out and quickly threw it back at the doctor. It penetrated his chest, but he showed no signs of pain. He reached into his pocket and pulled out…… a grenade! He was going to blow up the whole building!

The pin was pulled and the grenade hurled through the air, directly towards Sokka. He ducked, and it flew out the doorway. Outside, an explosion sounded, and the building vibrated. Unbeknownst to them, the loud noise had attracted zombies in a nearby area.

Before the doctor could pull out another grenade, Sokka ran towards the psychopath. He tackled the man, who yelled in frustration. He attempted to push the boy off, but no progress was made.

Sokka knew what he had to do. With a sickened stomach, he pushed the syringe deep into the doctor's body. The maniac made a gagging noise and fell silent.

Sokka stood up and attempted to walk away, but the doctor spoke.

"Kid, during your surgery, I implemented some device an old man gave me. He said that it would….. change the world as we know it. We ran some tests and discovered that….. you now have a psychic connection with…. well, some girl about the same age as you. Seems that the device we placed into your bloodstream gave you minor telepathic powers. The girl must have some connection with you, whether it be good or bad." The doctor froze for a second, but spoke up once again.

"If you use that device to save your friend, she may develop some powers similar to yours. Of course, it could also destroy her. I'm not entirely sure." The man smiled briefly. "I didn't even know who that old man was. Why did I listen to him? Maybe it was his small head. Somehow, he forced his way into my mind…." The doctor's head lowered, and his breathing stopped. His eyes remained open in an eerie manner.

Sokka stared at the man, thinking about what he had said. Maybe that strange dream he had was really a psychic connection with…… some girl. He also wondered what would happen to Toph if he used the machine on her. Well, it was the only thing they had. He had to risk it. Toph was going to die if he didn't use it; if he did use it, however, she only had a small chance of dying.

"Okay, Sokka! I think I found it." Zuko shouted. He came back holding a small, lightweight machine. Could this really save lives?

They began to walk out the door, but they noticed the doctor get up. When he had been operating on the nurse, he must've come into contact with the infected blood. He was now a brain-dead zombie.

Zuko ran forward and kicked the zombie into the wall. Above the undead doctor, the sword holding the corpse of his fellow patient fell out. It fell and cut the man's head in half, straight down the middle. The zombie with a split-open head fell to the ground.

"Is there a doctor in the house?" Zuko said in a corny fashion. Sokka looked at him, face palmed, and shook his head.

Outside, a crowd of zombies had arrived. They were seemingly waiting for the two boys.

"Aw crap!" Zuko cried. "What do we do now? We can't hold them all off!"

Sokka looked on in an exhausted state. He didn't have any idea of what to do.

Suddenly, bullets rained down from a nearby building. The zombies fell to the ground. An elf then jumped down, and looked towards Sokka.

Sokka glared at the elf. He must be here to kill them. The water-tribe boy got into attack position.

"Wait! I'm not here to hurt you. I want to help." He said. Sokka looked at him, confused. The elf spoke again.

"Listen; I know who you are. I was hired to assassinate you on Christmas." He said. He then wished that he saved that bombshell for later.

"So, you're the one who nearly killed me!" Sokka yelled. The elf looked down at his feet. "You made me get operated on some guy who went deranged!"

"Listen! I didn't know the circumstances. I was told that you murdered my leader in cold blood. I had no clue that some girl wearing makeup had hired him to kill you and your friends!"

"Some girl wearing makeup hired that fat man with a boomstick?" Sokka asked. Again, pain flashed in his stomach.

"Yes. In fact, she said she was in alliance with some king from another city. Anyways, it may not mean much, but I'm really sorry. Also, I did kill that sniper that had your friends pinned down."

"Why couldn't you help earlier than that?"

"Listen, I am betraying my people to help you. It's not easy sneaking away when you wear green and red all day. I had to go slowly."

"Fine, can you lead us back safely?"

"Sure thing. Follow me." The boys followed the elf back to where Toph was. Right before they left the rich district, however, a building crashed down. The Blue Spirit had made its way to them.

Zuko screamed, and the elf shot at it. The bullet penetrated the beast's skin, but nothing happened. Despite all the bullets it had taken in, it still seemed invincible.

"Let's get out of here!" the elf shouted. The Blue Spirit destroyed another building, and the resulting quake knocked Sokka down. Zuko and the elf continued to run. Sokka saw a large chunk of building falling towards the path they were running. They would be separated from the water-tribe boy, who still had the machine. There was no way he could make it across the gap in time. But maybe the machine could…

"Zuko! CATCH!" Sokka shouted. He threw the machine. Zuko turned around just in time to see the flying contraption. He caught it, and saw as rubble blocked off the path. They no longer could reach Sokka.

"What do we do?" Zuko asked.

"He gave us the machine. He knows that the girl is in extreme danger. We should save her, and then… come back for him if he doesn't find his way back." The elf replied.

They ran on…

Sokka stared up in fear as the Blue Spirit walked towards him. He stood back up and ran as far away as he could. He followed a nearby alleyway to an unknown area of Ba Sing Se. The Blue Spirit followed him, but this time, something changed. It shrunk minimally and a smaller, six-foot Blue Spirit emerged. The drill on its right hand started spinning, and it dashed for Sokka.

He jumped out of the way, but didn't expect the being to fling its left arm at him. Sokka flew into a building, and dust particles clouded his eyesight. The Blue Spirit charged once more, and its drill headed straight for Sokka's face. In a flash, he was in a different location.

"So, what do you want me to do?" a fat figure asked.

"I want you to murder everybody in that house. Make sure no one escapes." said the familiar girl from the last dream.

"Will you give a signal for me to attack?"

"I will go back to the house to ensure that no one gets suspicious. When I step out, that is your signal to approach. Oh, and make sure you see people enter the house. Three girls will be out caroling. Once I leave, and once the girls return, attack. Kill everyone."

"Understood." The girl walked away. She was wearing a black jumpsuit and a black hood. The fat man grabbed his supply of weapons, put on his red suit, and got ready for a "fun evening."

Back in the real world, someone had fended off the Blue Spirit and found Sokka's unconscious body. He dragged the boy to his sanctuary. The mysterious boy was surprised to find Sokka alive. Last time the boy saw him, the water-tribe warrior had been lying on the ground, bleeding, on Christmas morning…

The figure in the jumpsuit walked into the dungeons and found King Bumi. The King looked up.

"So, it's the bitch in the black jumpsuit again. What do you want? Do you want to find some way to betray me some more?"

"No, I just want to say that everything is going so well. I see the surgical machine I stole from that doctor worked for you, too." The girl looked at his face, which was covered in scars. "You look exactly like Bumi, except with an everlasting smile and scars. Well, good luck later today. I hope the trial goes well for you. It's been fun kidnapping and harassing you, but I know it was tough on you. You've had a hard last few days."

"You will never get away with this. People will find out that I'm the real Earth King! Then you'll be all washed up."

"Well, the thing is, no one except Bumi knows I am part of this conspiracy. When something happens to him, I will start my own empire. Besides, none of us plan to rule this god-awful city. By tomorrow, only ashes will remain. No; instead, we will become the strongest force in the world. We will rule everything."

"Wait, if the city goes, where will my trial take place?"

"In the burning pits of Hell, where you belong. Hopefully, the Devil will go easy on you." The girl then walked away.

The Earth King, who had been kidnapped and surgically altered to look and sound like King Bumi, watched her leave. As she left, he felt hope dash out the door with her….


	7. Enter the Foreshadowing

Chapter 6: Enter the Foreshadowing

_"Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream?"-  
Edgar Allan Poe_

Strange images can come to someone during their unconscious sleep. Sokka was now encountering this as he slept on the floor of the mysterious sanctuary. He was able to receive visions that may save the world, or bring it closer to destruction. Of course, dreams often become entwined with these foresights, making the task of interpreting their meanings dramatically difficult. Sokka needed to understand the information he was receiving, even though reality blended in with fantasy. The fate of the world relied on the unconscious mind of a boy…

Sokka stood on a long and winding road, which was entirely surrounded by grass. Fields and fields of grass.

"What the hell am I doing here!? I have to save Toph!" Sokka screamed. His voice echoed throughout the land. He ran forward, but he seemed to reach nowhere. Suddenly, a roaring boom shot across the sky. Sokka looked up and gasped.

Some sort of….. metal bird was flying through the air. Flames streamed out from behind the creature. Sokka was amazed and frightened at the same time. He had never seen anything like it before. As the figure flew away, Sokka took notice of large structures in the distance. Smoke rose above whatever they were.

Upon closer inspection, the water-tribe warrior discovered that these structures were really part of a large city. They were destroyed buildings that looked all too familiar. What Sokka was standing on were the ruins of Ba Sing Se.

"Holy crap. Did….did those zombies do this?" He asked himself. His heart began to ache, and he screamed out Toph's name. No response came. Instead, a building nearby crumbled down. A warm gust of wind blew rubble into Sokka's eyes, but he didn't notice. The sky had turned a bleak red, and every building in the whole city was completely decimated. It was amazing that some remained standing.

Sokka swore that he could hear Toph laughing amidst the rubble, but he couldn't be sure. A glimpse of sunlight gleamed down, and the boy noticed something sparkling in the distance. He rushed over to it, and picked up a peculiar object: an axe.

Sure, axes weren't strange in any way, but this weapon was emitting some strange energy. Sokka felt the familiar pain in his stomach as he held it. He thought once again of the girl in his dreams. Her face was still clouded.

A whistling sounded in Sokka's ear, and he saw someone standing in the distance. He ran towards them…….

Suddenly, Sokka was lying on the edge of a giant blimp. His hand grasped onto a much smaller and more delicate hand. He had held onto it too much times before to not know who it belonged to.

It belonged to his love, Toph.

She was dangling off of the blimp, and if it wasn't for his hand, she would've already fallen to her death.

People in guard outfits surrounded them. Sensing danger, something in his mind told him to reach for his back. Soon enough, he found a boomerang he never remembered having. He threw it with his free hand, but nothing major happened. They were dead meat.

He spoke to Toph, but he could not hear what either of them was saying. Just as Toph's hand was about to let go, another blimp flew their way. Sokka looked at the figure on top of the blimp. Closer, closer, closer….

Sokka sat up in a snow-covered land. Snowflakes fell at a peaceful pace, and he thought about Toph once more. Where did she go?

A large rumble shook the ground Sokka stood on. He looked up and saw snow rushing down a mountain. He was caught in the middle of an avalanche. He tried to run, but nothing happened. He looked at his legs and screamed.

Sokka's legs were terribly fractured. They all were twisted beyond repair. Sokka felt a sickening feeling rise in his stomach. Somehow, he had broken his legs, and now he was going to die. After a minute, though, he found that the avalanche had completely avoided him. Screams came from under the snow. It seemed that other people weren't so lucky.

Sokka looked around and glimpsed a round object with a tattoo of an arrow. It had to be Aang! He looked around some more and discovered hair that looked suspiciously like Ty Lee's and Smellerbee's.

Sokka looked at his doomed friends and started laughing maniacally. He lost all sense of awareness and sanity. He reached down to his forever crippled legs and twisted them some more. Cracks sounded in his ears, but he didn't care. Eventually, the legs were ripped from his body. Crawling on his arms, Sokka walked over to where Aang was trapped. He pulled the bald monk out.

"Thanks Sokka. Hey, what's wrong with…… WHERE ARE YOUR LEGS?" Aang shouted. Sokka grinned insanely and bit the boys head. Aang screamed as blood trickled downward. No matter what, Sokka kept on biting deeper and harder. The boy's skull cracked, and the screaming disappeared. The water-tribe boy looked at the dead monk and slowly lowered his face to the cracked head. This was going to be a mighty fine dinner. He started licking up the blood…

Sokka screamed as he awoke in a dark room. He was sweating profusely. What was wrong with him? Did he really dream about cracking Aang's skull with his teeth?

The boy stood up, feeling woozy. He slowly walked towards the exit. Walking up some stairs, he found himself on a boat. Several people were talking to a figure controlling the ship. Sokka walked forward, broke through the crowd, and spotted a strange looking individual.

One of their eyes was scarred, possibly from a terrible burn. Sokka would've assumed it was Zuko, except for one thing: he wore Toph's hair bun. For some reason, the water-tribe boy became filled with rage and jealousy towards this being. Without even saying a word to this figure, he came to the conclusion that he hated whatever it was. Still, he needed to ask it one thing.

"Uh, excuse me. Do you have any idea where I am?" Sokka asked. The figure looked at him and spoke in a voice that reminded him of two of his friends.

"You are onboard the grand ship of Toko/Zoph! I am Captain Zoph! Today is our finest hour. We will destroy every ship that stands in our way. The hour of canonicity is nigh!" the being said.

A bunch of giggling girls and strange-looking boys cheered as they all raised their swords in the air. Sokka walked away slowly and looked out to the sea. Numerous other boats were moving along at a steady pace. All of them had cannons, and each had a flag with a word on it.

Closest to the Toko boat was one with the name Kataang. Across the ocean, Sokka glimpsed boats with the names Zutara and Taang. It was then that he glimpsed a boat with the name Tokka. His heart fluttered, although he was unsure why.

He snapped out of his trance as cannon balls bombarded the Tokka ship. A boat, with the name Sukka, had fired at it. Zoph, the captain of the Toko boat, immediately sprang into action.

"One ship has launched an assault! Get ready, crew! Anyone may lay fire on us at any moment now…"

Another cannon ball shot, but not at the Toko ship. Kataang had scored a direct hit on Zutara. The crew abandoned the sinking ship and took control of the life boats. They rowed towards the Kataang ship.

"Welcome to Canon. You're about to begin the greatest moment of your life. The Kataang shippers have lost hundreds of tanks and war balloons. Kataang's brutalized supporters are now advancing towards Canonicity over mountains of their own dead bodies. Our Zutarian party, our nation, our country, has given us the task not to let the enemy reach the path to becoming canon and to defend all of the Fanfiction world. Forward against the enemy!" shouted a figure that strangely looked like a cross between Katara and Zuko. Sokka cringed upon seeing them. It was too scary to think about…

The Kataang ship shot cannons and machine gun bullets at the Zutara life boat. The boat shook, but was generally unharmed.

"Up into the unremitting battle, comrades, for canonicity; for our great country!" Zutara shouted. More bullets sprayed over the boat, and two supporters died.

"WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!" shouted two shippers dressed up like Katara. They jumped out of the boat and started to swim away.

"Not one step back! Cowards and traitors will be shot!" Zutara shouted as they shot the two fleeing shippers.

"Do not count days, do not count miles, count only the number of Kataangers you have killed. Kill the Kataangers - this is your mother's prayer. Kill the Kataangers – this is the cry of your Zutarian earth. Do not waver! Do not let up! Kill! Death to the Kataang invader!" Zutara shouted. The boat finally reached the Kataang ship, and they began the assault.

Sokka watched as Kataang shippers and Zutara shippers began to fight. Suddenly, the boat rocked as a cannon ball struck the side of the ship. Behind the Toko ship, another ship had arrived. Its army used large ropes to swing onto the Toko boat.

"THIS…IS…..MAIKO!" shouted the leader of the bunch. They looked like a mixture of Zuko and Mai. How odd…

Sokka fled below deck as Maiko shippers assaulted Toko shippers. It didn't take long for the ship to catch on fire. The water-tribe boy's heart sank as the flames reached the boiler room. A large explosion was imminent…

"Our ship has sailed!" laughed Maiko as they fled back to their own boat. Sokka gulped as the flames burned closer to the boiler. Closer, closer, closer…

Sokka gasped as he awoke in a dark house. Rain was pouring down outside. Lightning flashed, and a somewhat-quiet rumble loomed overhead.

"Hey, guys. He's awake!" called a familiar voice. Sokka turned around and saw Aang grinning creepily. His head did not get Sokka hungry, much to his relief.

"How… how did I get here?" Sokka asked.

"Well, some familiar guy carried you in here. You were out cold; he said a Blue Spirit attacked you. Anyways, he dropped you off. Upon seeing Zuko, though, he left." Aang explained.

"Wait… Zuko came back?"

"Yeah. He brought back some machine. How did you guys get separated?"

"That's not important now. How's Toph doing?"

"Oh, she's actually…. doing pretty fine. The machine seemed to disintegrate the bullet wounds. She's sleeping right now…" At that moment, Zuko walked into the room. He gasped when he saw Sokka, and he ran over as quickly as he could.

"Oh my God! You're awake! I thought we lost you." Zuko said with relief.

"Yeah, so did I…. Hey, Zuko, where's that elf who said he would help us?"

"Uh, well, he stayed behind. He complained that he felt too hot. I found that strange, considering it's the first of January and it's pouring outside. But yeah, he told me to go on as he cooled down…"

A yawn was heard in the other room, and Katara shrieked with joy. Zuko ran in as fast as possible, and Sokka followed. Toph had woken up, and she moved her head around the room. With her feet promptly planted on the ground, she looked all over.

"Are you feeling okay?" Zuko asked gently. He placed the back of his hand on her forehead. Toph looked up at him and….blushed.

"Yeah….. now that you're here." She said softly. She placed her right hand on Zuko's face and……leaned into a kiss. Zuko looked surprised for the moment, but he soon closed his eyes and leaned in as well. Sokka's heart sank deeper than it ever had before. Zuko was kissing the love of his life. He slowly reached down to his belt, and grabbed, amazingly, the axe he had found in a previous dream.

Not thinking straight, Sokka prepared to kill Zuko. He dashed forward and swung. He missed Zuko, but found another target. Ty Lee fell to the ground; or at least, her body did. Her head flew across the room and out a window Sokka never noticed before. No one seemed to see the event.

Zuko and Toph leaned out of the kiss.

"Zuko, I love you." She said affectionately. Zuko blushed, and responded by kissing her more firmly than before.

"Aren't they cute?" Smellerbee asked while nudging Katara. She smiled, but looked away when Aang glanced at her.

"What's going on?" Sokka asked. He couldn't move. He was seemingly chained to the ground. An hour passed quickly, and everyone left Toph and Zuko, her new love, alone. They wrapped their arms around each other and cuddled together. Sokka saw Toph's shirt fly out from under the blankets, and he screamed out loud.

"TOPH! NO!" he cried. No matter what he did, though, they didn't hear him. They were locked in their own little world now, and Sokka was stuck right in front of the action. Zuko kissed Toph's neck, who shivered and held the boy closer. His head moved lower…

"PLEASE TOPH! I LOVE YOU!" Sokka shouted. But it was no use.

"How do you like it?" asked a figure wearing a black jumpsuit. Sokka found the ability to move his head, and he turned it as far as it could go.

"Who are you?" Sokka gasped. Tears streamed down his eyes.

**"I thought you liked me!?"** cried the figure in a mocking voice. It had to be a girl. "If you want to know, read the letter Katara got from that useless dead guy."

"How will that help?" Sokka asked. The figure, who was incredibly familiar, ran towards Sokka….

_"Tuesday...January 1st._

_Ba Sing Se High School_

_01337._

_Dear Mr. Bumi...We accept_

_the fact that we had to sacrifice a_

_whole holiday in detention for_

_whatever it was that we did wrong._

_What we did WAS wrong. But we think_

_you're crazy to make us write this_

_essay telling you who we think we_

_are; what do you care? You see us_

_as you want to see us...in the_

_simplest terms and the most_

_convenient definitions. You see us_

_as a warrior, an emo kid, a blind bandit, a princess and a fool._

_Correct? That's the way we saw each_

_other at seven o'clock this morning._

_We were brainwashed…"_

Sokka awoke in a classroom comprised of four other people: Zuko, Toph, Katara, and Aang. They were moping around the desks, doing nothing but being lazy.

Sokka noticed that he had written something on a piece of paper. He read a part highlighted in bold:

**Meanwhile, Sokka was in his bedroom, contemplating over which girl he should date. He figured that Azula would be too rough, and Katara would be too nagging. He thought about every girl in the house; everyone except Toph. When he finally came to a decision, he jumped off the bed and ran out the door, colliding into Suki.**

**"Watch where you're going!" yelled Suki.**

**"I thought you liked me!?" cried Sokka.**

**"Why the hell would I like you?"**

**Sokka tried to come up with a good answer, but remembered that this was an alternate universe. He was lucky that he knew Suki, for that matter.**

That event had happened right before Santa Claus had attacked and murdered his friends. He turned through all of the pages and found a complete description of everything that had happened to him in the last few days; from the Santa Claus invasion to the point where he was assaulted by a Blue Spirit. Did he really make up all of those events? Had he really been…. dreaming of acting out those plots he had written down?  
Maybe he really was just a high school student...

He glanced at Toph, who sat in back of him. She picked her nose, sniffed it, and ate it. He still had feelings for her. Maybe he had written the story to display his true feelings for Toph.  
He wanted to prove that he would do anything for her.

"Hi, Toph." He said with a blush. The blind girl looked up and smirked.

"Hey, snoozles. You looking for another beating?" she laughed.

"Ha ha… what?" Sokka asked out loud. Toph sprang forward and punched him out of his chair. He launched through the wall and flew over an empty football stadium. Meanwhile, on that same stadium, Iroh walked down the field. Back in Season 2 days, everyone assumed that Iroh would die by the end of the series. But they were all wrong. He had survived, and he even got his tea shop back. He was the happiest man in the world…

Iroh, walking along, thrusts his arm into the air in a silent cheer, and freezes dramatically.

Sokka screamed as he woke up in a dimly lit room. So, that had been just another dream as well. He turned around and nearly jumped when he saw Toph's sleeping face in front of his. He glanced around the room. They were in a nice looking house, with green carpeting and blue-painted walls.

He looked back at Toph and blushed. Both of them were completely naked. Toph's arm wrapped around his waist softly but firmly. What day was it? Where was he?

Sokka didn't know what to think. He worried about his past "dreams," but he couldn't say that he disapproved of lying next to a naked Toph. Eventually, he snuggled back against her, wrapping both his arms around her form. He kissed her cheek, and Toph smiled and brushed closer to him. Sokka blushed, but he didn't mind.

An hour later, Sokka woke up alone. He heard something boiling in the next room. He found a towel, wrapped it around his waist, and left the bedroom. In the kitchen, he saw Toph, still naked, cooking breakfast. She turned around and smiled warmly.

"Hey, snoozles. I hope you're hungry. I'm cooking Turtle-duck eggs today."

"Toph….. you're……..naked…" Sokka said, embarrassed. Though he felt uncomfortable looking at her "features," he had to admit that she had a beautiful body.

"Yeah, I am. But I hoped you wouldn't mind. Besides, we have nowhere to go for the next two hours. Aang and Katara are expecting us at the ceremony for the new Earth King. Anyways…" Toph paused as she blushed at Sokka, "I thought that, maybe, we could have a 'quickie' in the bath house. I rented a private booth."

Sokka's face turned a deep crimson. "I don't mind, Toph. And, yeah, I would love to have a……. "quickie" with… you."

Toph walked closer. "That's good, Sokka. I would love to, as well." She whispered seductively. She smacked his behind, and he blushed even harder. When the food was ready, they both sat down at the breakfast table. It was hard to concentrate on the food, though, as Toph repeatedly kissed Sokka's neck.

The water-tribe boy thought of all the past events. If this was reality, well……… he could live with it. In fact, he prayed that this was not fiction.

After breakfast, Toph and Sokka put on brief layers of clothes, as they wouldn't need them for too long. The couple walked, hand in hand, down to the bathhouse. On the way, though, a familiar person blocked their path.

"Toph! What are you doing with this imbecile! I thought what we had was special!" Zuko cried. Toph's face grew serious.

"I gave you a chance, Zuko, but you failed. You never really cared for me. You always looked at and dreamed about that _other girl_."

"I gave you my virginity!"

"All we did that night was play chess while watching 'Gone With the Wind!'"

"But we did that together!"

"I don't love you! Sokka has always been there for me, but you only wanted to use me to get _her_! I guess you liked _her_ makeup more than you liked me…"

"That's not true. I've only ever loved you!" Zuko slowly walked closer to Toph.

"Get away, Zuko. If you don't, Sokka's gonna' hurt you."

"I'd like to see him try..." Zuko lunged for Sokka, knocking him to the ground. Toph tried to stop them, but Zuko unknowingly kicked her to the ground. The enraged boy started choking Sokka, who was helpless. Zuko finally let go, but he started punching the water-tribe boy's head. Blood squirted out, but Sokka felt no pain. His eyes opened wide.

He felt no pain. As far as Sokka could remember, he always felt pain whenever he got something as small as a little prick on his finger. Now, as his head was pummeled in, nothing hurt. This was all a dream…

Eventually, Zuko was pulled away by guards who happened to be walking down the street. Toph rushed to Sokka, tears running down her face.

"Sokka! Everything's going to be okay!" She cried. Sokka smiled. She was lying. This was all a dream. He would now wake up in the real world, and he would be no closer to winning her over. He still had to save her life, and even then, who's to say she would love him the way he loved her. Only then would everything be okay...

"Toph, I want you to know that I love you with all of my heart, but I also want you to know that this is a dream. We aren't really together."

"I know, but why can't we? Why does it have to be a dream? When we wake up, why can't we just…. declare our love? It's something I wanted to do for a long time…"

Suddenly, something struck Sokka. Toph didn't seem like a mere dream here. She seemed……like a real person. It was as if…..he was the dream. But that was impossible. He knew for a fact that he was a real human being. Sokka thought about Toph in the real world, who was, hopefully, still alive. What if she was sharing this dream with him? What if Dream Toph was actually…. Toph? Confusing himself, he did the only thing he could.

He reached as far as he could and kissed her. She immediately leaned into the kiss, and the world suddenly got blurry. Sokka fell deeper into darkness.

Falling, falling……into darkness…..

"So, sir, what do you plan to do now?" asked the figure in the black jumpsuit.

"Well, let's allow our monsters to do more damage. We need to make more of a statement; get more people aware of these happenings. Thanks to the zombies, I managed to find the weapons vault. In about an hour, we shall depart from this city and release this newly produced A-bomb. This city will crumble, and the whole world will know of my power!"

"Excellent. Well, I'll see you then. I have to tie up some loose ends with my "friends."

"Very well, then…."

Sokka woke up in a cold storage room. A boy, the same one who had rescued him, watched from overhead. The water-tribe boy suddenly felt inclined to make a wish. Something told him that it would come true. In his mind, he saw only Toph. He made the only wish he could...

Sokka didn't need to worry about dreams anymore, but he still needed to worry about nightmares. He was back in the real world, but the terror was far from over…


	8. Elementary, My Dear Sokka

Chapter 7: Elementary, My Dear Sokka

"So, you're finally awake?" called a voice from above. "I was beginning to think you were dead." Sokka looked up and saw a boy, not much older then him, standing on a high ledge. He clutched twin tiger head hook swords.

"Jet, is that you?" Sokka asked. He hadn't seen the boy since Christmas Eve. Well, technically, they had brushed paths when Sokka came back home, but Jet was too angry at Zuko to notice.

"So, you do have a brain." Jet said. He swung down to where Sokka was.

"Where were you this whole time? Zuko is worried sick!"

"Why would he be worried about me? That asshole doesn't care about anyone."

"That's not true. Listen; he was terribly upset when you left. Just because you two had a fight doesn't mean that you should give up on each other."

"Yeah…..whatever."

"Anyways, where are we?"

"When I left the house, I discovered this beauty parlor. It was up for sale or something. I snuck in and made it my personal dojo. Now that zombies and Blue Spirits are invading, I no longer have to worry about getting evicted."

"Shouldn't you be worrying about getting out of this city?"

"Nah. The government will take care of them, and the city will remain standing."

"Sure…. Well, Jet, would you be able to help me get back to the others?"

"Why not stay here?"

"I need to get back to Toph as soon as possible. She was severely injured by a sniper. I need to make sure she is okay."

Upon hearing this, Jet grew serious. Toph was like a sister to him.

"Fine, I think I know where they are…"

"How do you know?"

"Some chick in a black jumpsuit told me that a young girl was shot, and was currently in a hotel right in the middle of the city."

"Can you take me there?"

'Seems I have no choice."

Sokka and Jet left the abandoned parlor and started on their way to the middle of the city. According to Jet, the hotel Toph was in was located right next to the Earth Nation palace. Perhaps they could stop on by and find out what exactly was going on….

When Sokka was asleep and off having the dream about the shipping war, Zuko and the elf had arrived back to where the others were. Blue Spirits had begun wandering the nearby streets, forcing them to flee the small hut they had taken refuge in. They stumbled upon a fancy hotel, where they met other survivors. Toph, still in unstable condition, was operated on by the strange machine Zuko had received from the "doctor." It worked miraculously; the wounds simply were disintegrated…

"My God, it's as if she was never shot." Katara gasped in surprise. Toph's breathing steadied, and soon, she was back to normal. Little did they know, she had been given powers beyond their imaginations.

"Well, now we wait." Aang said awkwardly. Everyone sat around, doing nothing. Suddenly, an idea struck Smellerbee.

"Guys, aren't we practically right next to the Earth palace? How about we go there and see what the king is doing. I mean, he has to be planning something." Smellerbee said. Everyone thought about it for a moment.

"Okay, but Smellerbee, you're going to have to go alone. I mean, we have to wait for Toph to wake up. If she needs anything, we have to be right here to help." Katara explained. Smellerbee nodded.

"I understand. I'll be back as soon as I can." She glimpsed at Zuko. "See you around, cutie." Smellerbee whispered into Zuko's ear. He blushed, and looked away. He was completely confused.

Smellerbee walked out into the pouring rain. Little did they know, it would be the last time they ever saw her…

The Earth King called his servants. He needed to request one more thing…

"I need you to call the elves. Tell them to scavenge the streets and burn every square inch. Leave no corner unattended. Also, have them invade every building and burn the insides as well."

The servants nearly fainted when they heard his foolish plans.

"Sir, why do you want to…… hunt down people with…..flamethrowers?"

"It seems that the zombies can turn invisible. They are so impossible to see that……. A zombie may be right in front of you at this very moment!"

"But sir! What if innocent people are caught in the flames?"

"Well, that's a damn shame for them, I guess."

"Bu…."

"I'm getting tired of repeating myself…."

"Si…..fine, we'll give the orders…" The servants called the elves and told them to scorch the whole city. When the call was done, both servants became desperate. Their king had gone berserk. He didn't care about human life!

"I can't take this anymore. The more we obey him, the further we dig ourselves into Hell. I'm sorry, but…." Cried the older servant. He walked out onto the tallest balcony of the palace and looked down. He could see buildings crumble as Blue Spirits continued their unrelenting assault. He had to end this now.

"What are you doing!? NO!" yelled the other servant. He watched as his companion climbed on top of the railing, and slowly stepped forward. The younger servant saw the older man smile softly. He ran forward and tried to stop this madness.

He was too late.

The old man stepped off the railing of the balcony and plummeted, seemingly in slow motion. Lights flashed past him as he fell closer to the ground. He closed his eyes during the last five seconds of his life. He smashed into the ground, and a splattering noise made its way to the hotel. Aang looked out the window and screamed. Everyone looked outside.

A man, who had been a servant of the Earth King, now lay lifeless in the middle of the street. He had come from the palace. What had happened to him?

"Holy crap, we sent Smellerbee there!" Zuko screamed. Ty Lee shrieked loudly, realizing even more that the situation was helpless. If the palace wasn't safe, what was?

Smellerbee's death came as a surprise, rather than being intentional. She had climbed the steps of the palace as fast as she could. She had felt something whoosh by, but she had no idea that it was a person.

Smellerbee entered the building and made her way to the door leading to the throne room. A hushed voice came from inside.

"This is King Bumi…….Yes, I'm requesting some sort of transport out of here…… An hour is fine by me………..Make sure it's fast…."

Smellerbee was perplexed. Ba Sing Se wasn't run by a man named Bumi. Atleast, she didn't think so. She stepped forward, and a small click sounded. The walls started to shake, and Smellerbee felt uneasy. She thought randomly of Zuko and of Longshot, who had disappeared. She needed to get out of here!

Smellerbee slowly turned around….

The walls were much faster. In an instant, they collided into each other, completely crushing the girl. She never had time to think. The walls went back into place, and blood slowly fell through a hidden hole in the ground.

The remains of Smellerbee drifted into the dungeons, and they fell on "King Bumi's" head. He cried; numerous remains had fallen on him in the last few minutes. Innocent lives had stumbled into the real King Bumi's booby-traps, and the blood fell onto him. What kind of monster would do such a thing?

Sokka and Jet could see the hotel in the distance. They were so close. They never expected the events that occurred next…

A Blue Spirit, as tall as the hotel, was formed right across the street from Toph's location. It seemed that the smaller beings fused back once again. This would make things more fun.

The elves were forced to ignore the Blue Spirit. The Earth King had commanded them to burn down the streets. Sure, screaming civilians were there, but the king told them to keep lighting up the night. They were being paid a handsome amount of money, anyways. Only a fool would disobey.

"TOPH!" shouted Sokka. He ran forward and screamed as flames licked at his face. Elves were closing in.

"Sokka, take this!" Jet shouted. He pulled out a strangely familiar axe and threw it towards the water-tribe warrior. Sokka stared at it in disbelief, but soon took action. He ran towards a nearby elf. The elf shot forth a wave of fire, but the boy swerved around it. He jumped in the air and sliced his target in half.

Jet lunged towards another elf, and used his hook swords to knock them on their feet. One by one, elves ran towards him, and one by one, they fell. Jet was just about to walk away when one elf, who was still conscious, reached for the flamethrower. Flame streamed out of it in a beautiful blue. Jet noticed at the last second. He lurched out of the way, but his shoulder felt the burn. He screamed and fell to the ground, clutching his shoulder. He used his unharmed hand to throw a hook sword at the elf. It impaled his skull, and he died with his eyes locked in an everlasting stare.

"Jet! Are you okay!?" Sokka asked. Jet slowly stood up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Anyways, let's get to that hotel."

Inside the hotel, the screaming commenced as the Blue Spirit approached. Zuko, realizing what was going to happen, picked up the sleeping Toph and motioned for everyone to follow.

"We can't stay here! Let's get going!" Zuko shouted. Everyone, except for the elf, ran downstairs. He stayed behind in order to look for the machine. By the time he found it, the Blue Spirit had reached the building. He stared up at the bluish face, and he suddenly felt sick to his stomach. The creature's eyes burned like the brutal flames of a fire….

He ran as fast as he could, and made it out just in time. Everyone in the area, including some elves, watched as the building crashed down. The last main sanctuary, apart from the palace itself, had been destroyed. Smoke and debris began to flood the streets.

Crowds of survivors ran for their lives. Some fled back towards the poor district, others were burned to death by the fire.

Through the crowds of people, Sokka spotted Katara, Aang, Ty Lee, and Zuko, who was carrying Toph. He ran after them as fast as he could, worried about getting caught in the debris.

Zuko led his group into a supply store, and Sokka brought Jet into a weathered house. Smoke filled up the windows, and they could all see people running for their lives. Some, though, collapsed as the debris reached them. They fell and never got back up. When the smoke started to clear, everyone got out of hiding and looked around. The elves had left, and the Blue Spirit was distracted by something on a rooftop.

Katara, leaving her hideout, nearly cried when she saw Sokka.

"Sokka! Oh my God! I thought those things got you." She sobbed. Sokka hugged his sister tight.

"It's okay, sis. I'm back." She broke away from the hug and led him to Zuko. He looked up and gave Toph to the water-tribe warrior. He listened and nearly shouted for joy as he heard Toph's heart beating steadily. Her chest rose up and down as she slept. She looked so comfortable.

Sokka remembered his dreams and blushed to himself. He needed to ask Zuko something.

"When did you heal her?" he asked.

"It couldn't have been more than thirty minutes ago. Why?"

"Oh, nothing…" Sokka replied as he thought about the dream once again. He was unconscious thirty minutes ago. Maybe they actually did share a dream….

Something caught Zuko's eyes, and he turned towards a boy standing away from the scene. His left shoulder looked like it had been burned, and he clutched one hook sword in his right hand.

"Jet?" called Zuko in disbelief. The boy turned his head and ran off.

"Jet! Come back!" both Sokka and Zuko yelled. They hurried after him. Katara, Aang, Ty Lee, and the elf followed the two boys. Sokka continued to hold Toph in his arms.

Suddenly, more smoke filled the area. The elf sniffed the air. He recognized the smell. The other elves had deployed smoke grenades. They detected people in this area, so they had to die.

The elf turned towards Sokka.

"Listen kid. I'm going to hold them off. Get everyone out of here."

"What's gonna' happen to you?"

"I'll be fine. Just go!"

Sokka started off, but he heard the elf sigh.

"Kid, I just want to apologize for everything I put you through. It was a shame that we had to meet this way."

"I….should be thanking you. It may sound strange, but when you shot me, you opened my eyes. I finally saw who I truly loved. Also, you really came through for me. You managed to keep Toph alive. I'll be forever in your debt."

"If you really want to repay me, make sure you tell that girl that I apologize for ruining her Christmas. It's not everyday that you wake up and see one of your family members lying on the ground with a sniper bullet wound in their chest. I really worried her, and she doesn't deserve that." The elf paused for a moment. "Never let her go, kid."

"Please, call me Sokka."

The elf smiled and took out the operating machine. He passed it to the boy.

"Here, Sokka. Bring it with you just in case. Hey, maybe after this whole ordeal, we can go throw a party or something. Drinks are on me." The elf said. Sokka smiled back at the elf.

"I'd like that." With that, the elf motioned for Sokka to continue on. The elves with the flamethrowers approached him.

"Do not step any closer. I am commanding you to leave this street. Head towards the Blue Spirit!" The elf shouted. He wasn't surprised when they didn't stop moving. Feeling no remorse, they pulled the trigger of the weapons. Flames burst forward lightning fast, and the elf became engulfed in fire.

Sokka looked back and saw a terrible scene. The elf that had helped him was now burning to death. His frail hands flailed around in the air, and his body limped forwards. Finally, he fell and succumbed to death.

Sokka's mouth went dry and felt dread flow over him. There was nothing that could be done. With tears forming in his eyes, Sokka ran on.

Zuko and the others had followed Jet to a vacant bath house on the outskirts of the rich district.

"Jet! I'm sorry! Please, come out. We need you!" Zuko pleaded. Jet looked out a window and saw Zuko in despair. He thought about revealing himself to everybody….

A smash. Screams filling the air. A drill revving up. Cries of despair…

A Blue Spirit had separated itself from the large being and found the survivors. It was ready to end them once and for all. It had smashed through the vacant bathhouse, reducing it to rubble.

"JET! NO!!" Zuko screamed as loud as he could. Ty Lee covered her face with her arms. Aang, Katara, and Zuko readied for battle. Sokka watched in horror as his friends and family approached the beast. He could not help; he was still carrying Toph.

Zuko screamed again as he ran towards the Blue Spirit. The creature punched him in the face and sent him flying into a nearby building. Katara's eyes widened at the sight, but she still ran forward.

"Katara! Don't be crazy!" Aang shouted. He sprinted after her. She was going to get herself killed. The Blue Spirit aimed his drill at Katara, who swerved out of the way just in time. The creature's foot raised itself, though, and kicked her in the gut. She was flung into Aang, who collapsed. The Blue Spirit, having damaged his foes, approached Sokka. The water-tribe boy gently placed Toph down and grabbed the axe he had.

Ty Lee, meanwhile, had journeyed over to the destroyed bath house, and managed to fish out Jet. He was perfectly alive, and only covered in a minimal amount of debris.

"Oh my God…… how did you survive that?" Ty Lee gasped. Jet smirked and reached for his left shoulder. Blood was now pouring out around the burn mark. He took out his hook sword and found that it had been broken in half. When the building crashed down, Jet had fallen on his good, unburned shoulder, and his hook sword became clutched in his left hand. The sword, being crafted out of very durable material, protected him from most of the rubble. His left shoulder, though, had been damaged some more. It had been burned and it was now bleeding. His left hand was now virtually useless. Still, he had a job to do…

Ty Lee watched as Jet sprang forward and charged toward the Blue Spirit's back. His broken hook sword stabbed into the flesh, and the creature roared hideously. Jet had been stunned for the moment.

The Blue Spirit started to run. Jet started following the being. It wasn't about to get away. Zuko got up just in time to see the boy. They both looked at each other for a brief moment, but it felt like forever to Zuko. Their eyes looked into each other's. Jet's seemed to shine with a beautiful light; a light of peace and harmony. A light of moving on…

Jet broke away from the stare and ran after the Blue Spirit. Sokka knew he had to follow, but he also had to make Toph safe.

Katara, Aang, Ty Lee, and Zuko approached the water-tribe warrior. He softly handed Toph to Zuko.

"I figure that she will be safer with you guys. Anyways, if I don't come back, tell her that I'm sorry for not……being there for her. Tell her that I was an idiot who couldn't notice my true feelings until….. I nearly died." Sokka then glanced at Katara. "Make sure that she knows I love her, and that I……wish it hadn't just been a dream. Tell her that I meant everything I said."

Katara nodded, although she didn't understand what he meant by those last two sentences. Suddenly, she remembered something. She reached into her pocket and took out Haru's note. She couldn't decipher the importance of the bolded letters, but maybe he could.

"Sokka, I want you to have this. It's the note Haru gave to me. I'm not sure why, but I think a hidden message is buried inside. Maybe you can solve it." She said. He took the note and hugged her. Zuko turned towards Sokka.

"Hey, I just want you to know that Toph really cares about you. She told me that as the fat man attacked our house. At least, I assume that was during the attack. I never encountered anything…." He lowered his head, deep in thought. He finally raised it again. "Anyways, you're going to be fine. I know you will. Toph will be heartbroken if she loses you."

Sokka smiled, and shook Zuko's hand. Ty Lee ran up to him and hugged him tight. She didn't want to see anyone else die tonight. Her friends were everything to her. She could not lose anything more important than them. That's what she thought….

Aang nodded towards Sokka, who nodded back. The water-tribe warrior kissed Toph's head, and walked on. Everyone watched him leave, savoring the sight, for they were unsure if they would ever see him again…

The Blue Spirit had run far from the location. It had formed a strategy in its brain all the while. It knew it was being followed, and it also knew that it was weakened. The being followed the noises of their zombie companions…

Jet eventually lost sight of the Blue Spirit. He sighed as tears fell from his eyes. For some reason, this made him emotional. He didn't notice the moans surrounding him at first…

Jet looked up and gasped as he saw zombies approaching him from all sides. It was a trap! He had no weapons on him. He was going to fight them off by himself. The boy got into fighting position as the undead closed in….

It took ten minutes for Sokka to find Jet. The water-tribe boy had stepped into an area crowded with zombies. They were….eating somebody unfortunate enough to be in the middle of the throng. Sokka became ill as he thought of what this could mean. Clutching his axe, he ran towards the group and swung for his life. Numerous zombies had collapsed, and the remaining turned towards the new threat. They were about to lunge, but they heard the call of a Blue Spirit. They immediately stopped attacking and limped away.

Sokka's heart sank as he saw a mutilated form lying in the street. It was Jet.

"Jet!" he called as he approached the doomed boy. Jet looked up slowly and smirked.

"I……guess my luck…….ran out…" he laughed. His whole body was covered in blood. His legs had been ripped to shreds.

Sokka began to speak, but Jet silenced him.

"It's no use……..I've been….bit. I'm gonna'….become one of…..them." he said in a whisper. "Sokka…..I want you to……kill me. I don't want……to be a zombie. I'm already dead…if that makes it easier..."

"Jet, I'm not going to kill you! There has to be some way to help."

"Well, the doctors….have managed to…..find a person immune…..to zombification…..but she's dead….now. Hell…..even the doctors are…..dead. But……there's nothing to….be done for me. Please, I want you to……finish me. It would be the……most honorable thing possible. I'm not alive….anymore. Save me…"

"Jet…"

The fallen warrior looked up into the sky and laughed softly. "I wish I…..made up with Zuko. I'm not getting that….chance anymore."

"Everything's going to be alright. I'll get help…."

"Stop lying to yourself! I'm……no longer among the living. Once you're bit, you're done for."

Sokka knew that Jet was right. He was going to become a zombie. He already died. Maybe he should put him out of his misery…

Sokka slowly raised the axe, and Jet looked up at him.

"Please, whatever you do, don't tell Zuko what…..happened to me. I don't want him…..to live with that…..knowledge…"

Sokka closed his eyes and turned his head as the axe fell. Jet's skin had become soft and moldy, and the weapon sliced through the body without any resistance. The water-tribe boy stood up and threw-up on the street. He had just ended the life of one of his friends. He'd never be able to get that thought out of his mind…

Sokka began walking back when he remembered the note Katara had given him. She said that the note looked suspicious, and probably contained a secret message. He pulled it out and read it:

Katara,  
You are the mo**S**t beautif**U**l girl I have ever met. Even Zu**K**o, who doesn't adm**I**re anything, would give everyth**I**ng for you. You de**S**erve the best there is.  
I know that you will never **B**e with me, b**U**t I hope that you will be **M**y fr**I**end for a**S** long as possible. I know that you will **M**ake some man very happy **IN** the future. I just hope he **D**eserves you and your intoxicating beauty.

Haru

Sokka had to admit, the note did look strange. Several letters were bolded, as if they were important…

Instantly, an idea popped into his mind. He needed to write down the bolded letters in the order that they appeared on the note. He picked up his bloodied axe and cut letters into the soil. The first letter was **S**, so he wrote that first. Next came **U**….

The water-tribe warrior continued to write out the letters, occasionally looking up for any potential danger. The message he found both shocked and confused him, although he didn't know why….

The group had found another building close to the palace, and had taken refuge in it. Flames could be seen all over the city.

"Okay, guys. So far, we've been running aimlessly. I think it's time to come up with an actual plan." Aang said. No one answered. They just stared at the ground.

"Guys, I know you're all tired; I'm tired too. But if you haven't noticed, these creatures are devastatingly powerful, and will continue to destroy the city until there's nothing left. We either have to leave this city or check on the Earth King and find out why he is neglecting to do anything helpful. We're running out of time!"

Ty Lee suddenly stood up. "Aang's right, guys. The more we sit around, the less likely it is for us to survive. If we're going to do something, we have to act now!" Still, everyone remained silent. Katara worried for her brother, and also thought about Haru. Zuko wondered if Jet was okay. Toph continued to sleep, although she showed signs of waking up.

Aang sighed and sat back down. Ty Lee pouted and headed for the door.

"Well, if none of you are going to help, then I guess I'm going alone." She said. No one said a word as she left the house...

In the dungeons of the palace, the Earth King looked up as he heard the main door open. One of his past servants had arrived, looking sickened and worried.

"What have you done to our King?" he asked dramatically. The Earth King looked deep into his eyes.

"I am your king."

The servant noticed no hesitation in the man's voice. He sure looked like King Bumi. Of course, there were a lot of scars on his face. Had some sort of operation taken place? The servant began to think the man was telling the truth.

"What happened to you?" he asked the king. The Earth King sighed.

"One day, this girl approached me as I headed off for bed. She wore makeup of some sort and dressed in black. She claimed that her family had been murdered by some…..lunatic. She said that it would be an honor for me to attend the funeral. Somehow, she managed to invade my heart, and I agreed to come. She also convinced me to dismiss all of my guards and servants. Her family hated war and violence." He paused. "Maybe I was too tired to use rational thought.

"When I arrived at the funeral, I found that no one was there; well, except for two old men. I know that one of them had a small head. I didn't see much of the other man at that moment. Perhaps I should've looked closer…

"The girl explained that her family never had many friends. Well, I approached the coffin containing her mother, but when she opened it, I saw that it was empty. Immediately, some strong force tossed me in. I looked up and saw the face of King Bumi. The girl smiled and waved." The Earth King stopped for a long moment. The servant looked down. He remembered that day. All of the servants, including him, had been given the night off. They should've noticed something suspicious…

"When I woke up, I found myself in a bright room. I heard the girl talking to some strange man. The next thing I knew, a sharp pain filled my entire body. Something was cutting into me. I passed out after a minute. About three hours later, I woke up once again, and felt numb all over. I walked to a mirror, and screamed. My voice had turned hoarse, and I no longer looked like myself. I had become King Bumi."

The servant believed every word the man said. This had to be the actual Earth King.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I'm going to break you out of here." The servant said. The King smiled, and a sliver of hope returned to him…

Ty Lee was quite proud of herself. She had been brave enough to leave her group, and had managed to find a way out of the city. Every exit had been blocked by the elves. Well, almost every exit. Ty Lee had discovered a deserted train station off in the distance. One train was still there. There had to be some way to operate it.

The reason that no elves defended this area was due to a bunch of Blue Spirits finding refuge here. The elves had been ordered to ignore the Blue Spirits, thus forcing them to leave. They reasoned that they were not needed there. If someone did manage to find the train, they would never be able to reach it. The Blue Spirits would see to that…

Ty Lee cart-wheeled all the way back to her friends. She burst through the door, nearly giving everyone heart attacks.

"GUYS! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT I FOUND!" Ty Lee shrieked with joy. Everyone stared at her with perplexed looks. Finally, Aang spoke.

"Uh…… what did you find?"

Ty Lee shifted her eyes around the group dramatically, and started shouting again. "I FOUND A WAY OUT OF THE CITY!"

The group absorbed the news, and finally started talking frantically. Ty Lee told of the train station, and how all they had to do to reach the train was to make it through a tunnel. More shouting ensued. After a moment, Aang brought order back to the room.

"Are you positive that a train is still there?"

"Completely."

Zuko spoke up. "So, when do we depart for the tunnel?"

"How about right now!?"

Katara coughed, and everyone looked at her. "Guys, what about Sokka and Jet. Shouldn't we wait for them?" She asked.

The group fell silent. Aang looked at her.

"Sokka knows what he's doing. I'm pretty sure that he can find his own way." He said. In reality, he was making up excuses to go. Why should they wait for people who may never come back?

"We can't just leave them stranded. What if they need our help!?" Katara cried. Suddenly, a thought bloomed in her mind. Sokka had mentioned that he shared a dream with Toph, or something along those lines. Maybe Toph could communicate with him telepathically.

Katara moved her mouth close to Toph's ear.

"We're leaving for an abandoned train station in the rich district. Meet us there." She whispered. Hopefully, Toph's sleeping form would absorb these words and relay them to Sokka…

The water-tribe boy looked at the message once again. He finally knew who the girl in his dreams was. Upon reading the four word message, the blurred face finally became clear. The girl in the black jumpsuit was one of his friends. He thought about all the dreams he had. The girl talking to the old man now had an identity. The figure on the blimp now had a face.

The girl he had talked to on Christmas Eve now had significance.

Yet, strangely, he wasn't sure why. He only knew that girl's name. What could the other part of the message mean? And, more importantly, what did the message mean for him? Maybe the old man she had been talking to was the other name in the message. Still, he couldn't be sure.

He stood back up, and instantly felt pain in his head. A picture of four figures leaving a house flashed in his mind. One figure carried a fifth figure. The building they left was right next to the palace. A train station and a long and winding tunnel flashed by, as well. Hope seemed to linger from deep inside it…

As soon as the pictures arrived, they left. Sokka was left standing there, stunned. Somehow, he had received an important message.

His friends were heading to a train station. He needed to hurry, or he would be left behind. He kept the note that contained the hidden message and hurried on.

A figure jumped down from a building as he left. They looked at the message written down in the soil, and smirked. Sokka was smarter than they expected.

The figure in the black jumpsuit decided that she couldn't wait much longer. The girl followed the water-tribe warrior, carefully and strategically staying out of sight…

The group stared at the path before them. They could see the tunnel that would bring them to the train. It was so close……..and yet so far away.

"Well, ready when you are…" Aang said to no one in particular. Zuko gulped and took a step forward. He could smell blood in the air. Hopefully, it was coming from the other side of the city….

Ty Lee slowly began to follow Zuko. Aang glanced at Katara, and took a step forward as well. Slowly, she began to move.

Toph began to stir in Zuko's arm. He struggled to hold on to her. His clothes rustled as he moved about. Sure, his clothes may have rustled before, but this time, it was different. The world had gone suspiciously silent. Nothing, not even the wind or the flames, made a sound. The rustling of fabric seemed to echo throughout the whole city; no, the whole world.

Maybe it was the rustling of clothes that attracted the creatures. Maybe it was the smell of fear. Or, maybe they had noticed them from the start and were playing around with their minds….

Ty Lee screamed as loud as she could when she saw a large, bulking figure jump off the roof of a house. The scream signaled in the arrival of numerous Blue Spirits. In the blink of an eye, no fewer than twenty Blue Spirits waltzed out into the street, blocking the path to the tunnel.

"Aw crap. WE'RE SCREWED!" Zuko cried. He sobbed, and one of his tears fell on Toph's cheek. She instantly woke up.

"Wha…..where am I?" She asked groggily. No one could answer her in time. Buildings in the whole area were reduced to rubble in seconds as more Blue Spirits arrived. "What's going on!?" Toph cried. She had awoken in a strange world. Nothing made sense.

Zuko put Toph down, and she stood on her legs. She felt dramatically weak, and could barely stand up straight. She used her feet to 'look' around, and discovered over twenty bulking figures standing in front of the group. Her group was comprised of Aang, Katara, Zuko, and Ty Lee. She noticed that Sokka was not there. Where was he?

The Blue Spirits roared as the charged for the group. All of their drills were spinning at full speed. Zuko and Aang roared back at them as they, too, charged. Ty Lee somersaulted towards the beasts, and Katara stayed behind to make sure Toph was okay.

"Where's Sokka?" Toph cried. Katara looked away; trying to decide what answer would comfort her.

"Sokka's okay, Toph. He separated from us in order to save Jet. He'll be here soon enough." Katara said comfortably. Toph shook her head.

"He's not safe out there! I need to find him! What if he's in the same mess as us?" She cried back.

"No, Toph. It's...safer here."

"Not for Sokka." With that, Toph ran off into the distance.

"Toph! Get back here!" Katara shouted. It was no use. The stubborn Earthbender could not lose in an argument. Katara started to run after her, but she was stopped in her tracks. A Blue Spirit had snuck past the battle and made its way over to her. It swung its drill, but she ducked swiftly. Her leg twisted, and she cringed in pain. She wobbled away in a hurry.

Meanwhile, Aang took on five behemoths at once, Zuko combated three, and Ty Lee basically danced around the others. One Blue Spirit jumped for Aang, who slid under and kicked his foot up. It hit the creature's groin, causing it to collapse. It remained down for only ten seconds, though. It slowly stood back up, good as new.

Zuko roundhouse kicked a Blue Spirit into another one, and jump-kicked the third. They too stood back up. They seemed impossible to beat. At the rate this battle was going, they were.

The sad thing was that these creatures were going easy on them as of right now. They normally wouldn't fall down…

Sokka felt a slight suspicion that he was being followed. Noise could be heard behind him, but when he turned around, silence flooded in. Strange….

In the near distance, he could hear the sounds of what had to be a battle. Smashes could be heard, and roaring ringed throughout the sky. Sokka suddenly knew what was happening. His friends must be caught up in a battle with……Blue Spirits. The path to safety had deployed one last obstacle….

Whatever Sokka feared was doubled when he saw someone running down the street. He found it hard to breathe, and his blood ran cold.

Toph was running towards him, all alone. Why was she separated from everyone else? And why was no one protecting her from harm?

"Sokka! You're alive!" she sobbed as she ran into his arms. He smiled briefly as he rubbed her head, but then became serious.

"Why are you out here alone? Something could've attacked you." He cried back to her. Toph continued to hold him, making sure that this was not another dream.

"I came looking for you…" she whispered, still in tears.

"Where are the others?"

"They're right outside some tunnel. These big monsters are attacking them. I…left in order to make sure you were safe."

"Okay, well, let's get back to them. I'm not sure how long they could last." Sokka started running, but Toph refused to move.

"Sokka…….did you…"

"'Did I' what, Toph?"

"When I was unconscious, I dreamed…"

Sokka's heart fluttered. He knew what she was going to ask. He held her in his arms. She looked up at him and blushed. Now was the moment he had been waiting for. It was time to tell Toph his true feelings…

Fate can be cruel sometimes. It had been in the past. But, was it actually going to show mercy this one time?

"Toph… I…" A shadow, illuminated by the flames, fell towards the two "lovers."

Yep, fate was a cruel mistress….

A figure jumped from a building and kicked Sokka to the ground. He looked up in fear, and was shocked at what he saw. The girl in the black jumpsuit was now holding a sharpened ninja fan up to Toph's throat. The blind girl had her head raised, feeling razors-sharp spikes piercing her neck.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" the girl asked. She looked over Sokka and laughed. Her laugh was familiar to both Sokka and Toph. There was now no doubt who the current enemy was.

"Sokka! What's happening?" Toph cried. She was more confused than she had ever been in her whole life. Everything was falling apart.

"LET HER GO!!" Sokka screamed. The girl just laughed. She pulled off the hood of the suit, and Sokka recognized the face of the girl whose name was in the secret message. One of his past friends was now threatening his love. The water-tribe boy stood up, but Toph screamed. More of the razor had begun cutting into her. Sokka's eyes widened, and he crouched down to his knees.

"Any sudden movements, cutie, and this sleaze-bag's head drops." The girl said. Sokka cried out, defeated. What could he do? Toph was in danger, and he could do nothing. He was practically rooted to the spot. Stuck between a rock and a hard place...

To make matters worse, his friends were still engaged in battle. How long could they hold out?

The Blue Spirits had managed to corner the small group. Blood dripped from Aang's head, Zuko's lip was cut, Katara's leg was sprained, and Ty Lee was covered in dirt. The creatures closed in.

"Guys, I'm gonna distract them. Make a run for it if they follow me. Don't look back!" Ty Lee shouted suddenly. She ran forward and jumped over a bunch of Blue Spirits. They all looked her way and followed her. The group looked at each other and fled.

"What about Ty Lee? We can't just leave her with those things. She'll get slaughtered!" Zuko cried desperately.

"Maybe there's some weapon in the tunnel! If we can get to it fast enough, maybe we can kill these things!" Aang said. In reality, he was being selfish once more. Ty Lee had offered to sacrifice herself. She should go ahead with the offer.

His thoughts came true.

Ty Lee continued to jump around the Blue Spirits, believing that she could continue to outsmart them. One caught onto her plan, though, and punched her into a standing building. She smashed through it, causing it to collapse. She moaned as she rubbed her head. Two Blue Spirits picked her up and grabbed her arms.

"Let me go!" she cried. She used her feet to kick the beasts, but they were unfazed. Another Blue Spirit stumbled forward and raised its drill. Zuko watched from afar, in horror, as he saw the drill head for Ty Lee's chest.

The acrobat's eyes widened as the drill penetrated her stomach. She could feel it rotate inside of her. Blood spurted from her mouth as she tried to breathe. The drill, rotating like crazy, began grinding up her inner organs. Pain like she never felt before embraced her. Slowly, her stomach disintegrated and her lungs were hacked up. Ty Lee spurt one last gush of blood before falling silent. Her eyes remained wide open; a surprised look had been forever tattooed on her face.

The creature pulled out the drill and howled at the night sky. Ty Lee's limp body collapsed. Zuko had gone numb.

"TY LEE!" He screamed. Tears streamed down his face. "NOOOOO!!"

"Let's get moving!" Aang shouted. He grabbed Zuko and, supporting Katara due to her sprained leg, entered the tunnel. Everything was going to be smooth sailing from here...


	9. A Best Friend For All Reasons

Chapter 8: "A Best Friend For All Reasons"

Inside the dungeons of the Earth Nation palace, the servant returned with a key.

"Here, My Lord. I've got the key to set you free. But, where do we go once you're out?" the servant asked. The Earth King looked at him.

"I'm going to hunt down that King Bumi. I want you to call the elves and tell them to change targets."

"I should tell them to leave the innocents alone and target the Blue Spirits?"

"Correct."

"Finally; an order that makes sense." The servant unlocked the jail cell, and set the Earth King free. They ran back upstairs.

"I will head to the throne room. You head to your chambers and contact the elves!" he shouted. The servant nodded.

The Earth King almost forgot about the booby-trap that was set. Right as he was about to step down, an instinct told him to jump over. He did so, and avoided the walls that caused Smellerbee's death. He entered the throne room…

The servant made contact with the leader of the elves.

"We have another order from the king. He wants you to leave the innocent alone and combat the Blue Spirits."

"What's with the change in orders?"

"I'm…..not sure. Perhaps his job is too stressful for him to make up his mind?"

"Perhaps…. Okay, mission initiated."

The elves put away their flamethrowers and searched for Blue Spirits. One half searched around the whole town, while the other half headed to a certain tunnel…

Sokka glared at the girl he thought was his friend. Why was she threatening Toph? What motive did she have? And where did she go on Christmas Eve?

"Please, Sokka……she's hurting me…" Toph gasped. More tears fell from Sokka's eyes.

"Please, let her go." The water-tribe boy pleaded. The girl just laughed and started to press the fan closer. Toph whined as the spikes entered further.

Sokka grew angry. This girl was going to kill Toph no matter what happened. He needed to distract her somehow. Perhaps asking a barrage of questions would let her guard down…….

"So, where did you go on Christmas Eve?" he asked as calmly as possible. The girl smirked.

"Oh, nothing. I just left the house to make sure I didn't get caught in the crossfire."

"So, you knew Santa was going to attack us?"

"Of course I knew. I hired him!"

Sokka's eyes widened. He was hoping that the dream he had was only that; a dream. But, alas, it wasn't. One of his friends had hired Santa Claus to murder everybody.

Sokka remained calm. "So, why'd you hire him? Did you really feel the need to kill us? Do you hate us?"

"No, I just felt that you would interfere with my plans."

"What plans?"

"I'm planning world domination, with the help of an old friend."

"How do you expect to do that?"

"Well, first of all, by arranging the fall of this city, the world will recognize my accomplice as all-powerful, seeing as no one could ever take over this city at all; let alone, destroy it…"

"Wait, you caused this whole mess with the zombies and Blue Spirits?"

"Yep, but don't interrupt me. It's rude. Anyways, after this city is gone, my accomplice will be feared throughout the world. We will unleash numerous zombie and Blue Spirit outbreaks all over the world. My accomplice will then take the place as ruler of the world……..and I will then murder him. I will finally be the true ruler of the world."

"If the world is destroyed, what will you rule?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure there will be many survivors. I will force them to obey me, and the world will repopulate itself."

"And you expect this plan to work?"

"Yep, but I wouldn't expect you to understand. It may be too much for that small head of yours." The girl then pulled the fan away from Toph's neck, who sighed as she dropped her head lower. The girl laughed and kicked the blind girl in the face. She hit the ground with a sickening "smack."

"TOPH!" Sokka cried. He ran towards the girl, who was bleeding from the head. Blood also dripped from her neck, where the assaulter had held the fan.

"YOU'VE…..CROSSED…..THE….LINE!" shouted Sokka. He stood up and glared at the girl.

"Bring it on." She said.

Sokka rushed towards the girl in the jumpsuit and, taking out his axe, swung as fast and swiftly as he could. The girl dodged easily and kicked the water-tribe boy into a building. She picked up Toph and walked over to Sokka. She pulled him up and proceeded to run into a relatively tall building. The boy followed.

"Get back here!" he screamed. They ran up numerous flights of stairs, and found themselves on the top of a square roof. The girl walked over to the ledge.

"Do you know how easy it would be to drop this girl to her death from up here? I mean, she's already injured. This fall would seal the deal." The girl mocked. Sokka's eyes opened wider.

"LET……HER……GO….…………………….SUKI!" He panted in anger. She smiled.

"Real bad choice of words, my friend." With that, she dropped Toph off the building. "But I'm flattered that you remember my name."

Sokka's heart sank as he saw Toph fall. Without thinking, he jumped over the ledge himself. He managed to grab the girl, who seemed to be unconscious.

"I love you…." He whispered as soft as he could. He held onto her tight. If they were going to die, atleast they would die in each other's arms…

Aang, Katara, and Zuko walked slowly through the dark tunnel. No light whatsoever could be seen. Eerie silence surrounded them.

"So, does anyone have…..anything that could make this place brighter?" Aang asked cautiously.

"If we did, we would have used it long before now!" Zuko screamed. Katara remained silent. She prayed that Sokka was okay. She broke away from Aang and started walking on her own. Her leg still hurt, but not as bad as it could have.

They had made it to the middle of the tunnel when they heard the shuffling of feet.

"Does anyone hear that?" Zuko asked. No one answered, but he knew that they heard it too.

Something grabbed Zuko, and he screamed.

"Sorry, Zuko. I tripped." Katara blushed. Zuko, embarrassed, just grunted back and walked on. Another hand grabbed onto him.

"Did you trip again?" he asked.

"No. I'm still standing." Katara said.

"Why do you ask?" Aang asked. Zuko's eyes widened. None of them were grabbing him. He kicked out towards where the hand was coming from, and made contact with something. A moan could be heard, and Zuko screamed. He had hit a person.

"What the hell was that?" Aang asked. Katara grabbed onto Aang's hand in fear. The boy shivered, not knowing who was touching him

"That's me, Aang." Katara whispered in order to not cause any more confusion.

Everyone froze in their tracks, for they knew that they were not alone. Zuko suddenly screamed out.

Something had bitten him in the neck. He pushed outwards, and hit another person. He suddenly felt sick. He knew what had bitten him.

"Guys…." He moaned in a sickened tone. Instantly, several dim lights turned on. They were all that the group needed to see what was happening.

Zombies surrounded the group. Virtually thousands resided in the tunnel. Aang cried out. Katara whined. Zuko continued to groan in pain.

"I've been bit, guys…" Zuko said. The others ignored him as best as they could. What could they do?

"Should we retreat out of here?" Katara asked.

"Have you forgotten about the Blue Spirits out there?" Aang replied. It looked like they would have to stampede past the zombies.

An arrow shot out from behind the group. It caused one zombie's head to explode. More arrows ran forward, creating a path for the group to follow. Katara and Aang supported Zuko as they ran. Now was not the time to ask questions.

They came to another long path, this one seemingly clear of zombies. Numerous holes, possibly leading into the sewer, covered the walls.

The path _looked_ like it was clear…….

Zuko sat on the ground, realizing that his life was over. He sobbed.

"Where's Jet?" he cried. No one could give him an answer, for they did not know.

"Go on without me, guys. I'm gonna turn into one of them." Zuko said. He started thinking about his sister. "Where's Azula?" he sobbed. He never knew how much he cared for her.

He thought of his friends who weren't here. "Where's Smellerbee……Where's Longshot……..Where's Toph………….Where's Sokka………..Where's Suki?" Again, the group could not answer.

Katara looked away. She couldn't stand to look at Zuko while he was in this state.

Something caught her eye in one of the holes in the wall. A boy's head was sticking out. Someone was climbing out of the hole. She walked over to get a closer look and gasped.

"Teo! Is that you?" She asked. The boy looked up at her with red eyes. He stepped out of the hole. Teo, the crippled boy, _stepped_ out of the hole.

"Oh my God! You're walking!" she cried in delight and minor confusion. The boy stepped forward, and Katara felt fear boil up inside of her. She stepped back and tripped on her own feet.

Aang saw what was happening. A zombie was approaching Katara, who had fallen due to her hurt leg. He ran forward…

The zombie Teo lunged towards the girl, who screamed.

"NOOOOO!" Aang cried in what was almost slow-motion. He collided into the zombie and wrestled it to the ground. The undead life form's strength took Aang by surprise. It was stronger than it looked. It overpowered the boy and…..started biting his chest.

"AANG!" Katara shrieked. She attempted to stand up, but howled in pain. Her leg was fractured. The falls she had taken had finally gotten to her…

Zuko found strength to stand up, and ran for the zombie. It was now biting Aang's head. What else did he have to lose? He stomped on the zombies head, causing guts to explode from it. Katara managed to avoid the bloody chunks.

"So, you were bitten..." Zuko said in despair. The boy nodded. Zuko lowered his head and walked over to Katara. He picked her up as carefully as he could, and brought her over to Aang. Zuko placed her down, and she painfully stood on her knees.

"Oh Aang…" she sobbed. Aang smiled at the girl.

"I'm sorry I……abandoned you when that fat guy attacked, Katara. I…..was stupid a few days ago. I hope I…..redeemed myself in your eyes." Aang said softly. Tears fell from Katara's eyes.

"You……were willing to kill yourself in order to save me. I could have been the one bitten..."

"I'd do anything for you, Katara."

"I'm sorry, too, Aang. I was too stubborn to realize that nothing was your fault…"

"I love you, Katara."

"I love you too, Aang." She cried as she carefully placed a kiss on Aang's cheek, avoiding all remains of 'Teo.' She now knew how she felt about the boy, but it was too late.

"Leave me here, Katara. Escape from here. I know you will find a better love out in the world."

"I'm not leaving you behind!"

"Katara, if you love me, you'd leave me here. I could turn into one of those things any second now. I don't want to hurt you. Leave before you witness my transformation…"

Katara reluctantly allowed Zuko to pick her up. They walked forward, and Katara peeked at her love. Aang waved at them with a half-hearted smile. The girl cried terribly as she blew a kiss back at the "dead" boy. She knew she would never see him again…

They came to the end of the tunnel. Zuko looked at the girl. His eyes had turned a foggy-green color.

"You know, once we make it to the train, you're on your own. I was bitten by a zombie. It's only a matter of time before I…..turn into one of them…"

Katara nodded, although she didn't accept the truth. Hopefully, something helpful would turn up…

Sokka, still holding onto Toph, saw the ground approach at an alarming rate. They would hit it in less then ten seconds. He kissed Toph's head and attempted to roll in the air, causing his back to face land. Hopefully, when they hit the ground, Sokka would take most of the impact. He would probably die, but Toph would survive. Right now, that was all that mattered to him…

Toph began shuffling around, and everything froze. Sokka was barely one inch from the ground. He gasped as he saw they were no longer falling. He stood on the ground, still holding Toph.

"What the hell?" he questioned out loud. He looked at the blind girl. Her eyes had turned a light blue, but they soon changed back to their normal faded green.

"Toph, are you okay?" He whispered. The girl started to awaken.

"Sokka?" she asked sleepily.

"Everything's going to be alright, Toph. Let's get out of here." He said. Sokka started walking away, but Suki jumped in front of him. She was smiling.

"So, you used that machine on the little brat, as well. How else could she have done that?" Suki laughed. "Well, it's only a matter of time before the power eats away at her. I'll give her……..two months, total."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh nothing. I forgot that you weren't gonna survive long enough to witness the effects of the surgical machine…"

Sokka placed Toph down and grabbed Suki by the neck. He rammed her into the side of a building.

"What's going to happen to her?" He snarled. She remained calm.

"The same thing that's gonna' happen to you. The power given to you from the machine will slowly cause your body to degenerate. You will both die a slow and antagonizing death. I actually feel sorry for you…" She kicked Sokka in the groin, and he keeled over in pain. He gasped out, struggling to take air into his lungs.

"You mentioned an accomplice. Who is it?" Sokka asked. Suki looked at him and thought for a moment.

"You solved the message. You figure it out. It's spelled out for you…" Suki jumped onto a building and climbed to the top. She looked back one more time and smiled at the water-tribe warrior. She waved and jumped out of sight.

When this city was gone, Suki was going to sit down and have some aptly named "Chicken soup for the soul." Perhaps she would even have a second helping….

Sokka watched his past friend flee the area. He needed to make it to Katara and the others! Seeing as Toph could walk on her own, he held her hand and ran towards the tunnel…

Sokka finally knew what the secret message meant. He remembered what it had said...

**SUKI IS BUMIS MIND**

A man named Bumi would take all the credit for this incident, but Suki had planned it all. She was the mastermind...

Katara walked into the train and glimpsed sadly at Zuko. She would have to fend for herself out in the world.

Zuko found the switch to activate the train, but before he could press it, a hand grasped his shoulder. He turned his head and gasped as he saw a strange face.

A man, clutching a bow and carrying a quiver of arrows, had entered the area. He was skinny and had a small head. A gray beard protruded from the small head.

The mysterious man looked at Zuko's eyes and chuckled to himself.

"Well, it seems I've found another person immune to the virus." He said. Zuko raised an eyebrow at the man. He spoke again. "Do you have a sister, or something?"

"Yes, my sister is named Azula. She disappeared a while ago. Do you know where she is?"

"Yes, I do. She was immune to the virus, as well. A strange boy in a wheelchair wanted to see her."

Zuko's hopes soared as he heard this."Where is she!?"

"She's rotting in a hospital tent in the poor district."

Zuko's heart sank upon hearing this. Teo must've been the kid in the wheelchair. He had gotten infected somehow and had murdered his sister.

Zuko was glad that he had crushed his head…

"Wait, so Zuko's not gonna' turn into a zombie?" Katara asked as hope flew into her mind.

"Nope. He's safe for now. He can infect others, though. In fact, something as simple as a kiss could spread the disease."

Zuko looked at the man. "Is there any way to destroy the virus?"

"When you get out of here, I will try to find an antidote. It may take awhile, though…"

"Well, I guess it's time to leave." Zuko said as he slowly entered the train.

"Not so fast. I detected some of your friends out in the city. Two of them are alive and well. In fact, they are heading to this tunnel right now as we speak."

Katara and Zuko looked at each other. They wondered who had survived.

"I will provide cover for them as they enter the tunnel. These zombies are going down…" The man said. He walked back into the depths of the tunnel. Katara and Zuko had no idea who he was, why he was here, or how he knew so much. What they did know, however, was that they had to remain here until their remaining friends arrived…

The Earth King busted down a door in the palace, enraged that he could not find Bumi. He glimpsed the girl in the jumpsuit enter through an open window. He snuck behind her, following her every step. She opened a door and made her way to the top of the palace.

The Earth King saw King Bumi enter a balloon with Suki, the girl in the black jumpsuit. Bumi saw the king and waved as they left ground. At that moment, the servant walked out onto the roof and saw the fleeing balloon.

"C'mon, sir, we can't lose them!" he said. He led the Earth King to another war balloon and they soon took off. They tailed King Bumi and Suki……

Sokka could now see the tunnel. He stepped forward, and saw a terrible sight. Ty Lee's body was lying in rubble. A massive hole was in her chest, and blood was everywhere. He nearly threw up.

"Let's continue, Toph." He said quietly. She nodded, feeling sick herself. She felt the vibrations of Ty Lee's body, and knew that she was dead. The tunnel loomed before them. Sokka could practically taste freedom…

A Blue Spirit wobbled in front of him. In time, over twenty surrounded Sokka and Toph. They both gulped; this was gonna be one hell of a fight...


	10. After Every Darkness

Chapter 9: After Every Darkness...

The Blue Spirits observed the two targets with intense rage. Three people had evaded them already. These two were going to attempt the same.

They weren't about to let that happen.

"Toph, get down. I'll hold them off…" Sokka said, although he didn't sound convincing. The blind girl shook her head.

"No, Sokka. I'm fighting too." Toph declared. She stood tall next to the water-tribe boy. Before he could argue, one Blue Spirit ran forward. Its drill pointed towards them.

A whirring noise sounded in Sokka's ears. He froze. Some animal instinct made him hesitate. The boy had survived so much these past few days, that he had developed a sense of forewarning.

"Get down Toph!" he screamed. Toph instantly fell to the ground, and Sokka covered her, which would hopefully be enough protection.

A missile fell from the sky and hit the Blue Spirit head-on. The earth around it was thrown to the sky. The night quickly turned bright, as if morning had come early.

Sokka was blinded by the explosion. All he could hear was an intense ringing in his ear. The remaining Blue Spirits tensed up. They were unharmed, but they saw what had happened to one of their brothers.

Numerous tanks, driven by elves, had arrived in the area. Ground troops carried machine guns and other hi-tech weapons.

Sokka, regaining his eyesight, looked up at the amazing scene. One elf walked over.

"Are you two alright?" he asked. Sokka picked up Toph, and they both nodded. He spoke again. "Where are you heading?"

"Our friends are waiting in the tunnel. We need to find them."

"Fine, but in the meantime, stay out of the way." The elf ran into the battle. Sokka and Toph took refuge by a destroyed building, where they were able to watch the fight.

More missiles fired, and more Blue Spirits crumbled. The elves seemed to have the upper hand. Bullets blasted towards the beasts, and they roared with fury.

Sokka noticed that one of the creatures started to glow. The other Blue Spirits followed its lead. The elves stopped, confused and terrified. One by one, the beasts jumped on top of each other, and the glowing gleamed brighter.

The figures melded into each other, and a larger figure was formed. Sokka nearly screamed.

The Blue Spirits had transformed into another large beast. They were now taller than the whole city.

"FIRE!" screamed an elf. The elves sprang into action and fired every weapon they had. The creature seemed to absorb everything that was thrown at it. It smashed its drill down, and crushed numerous tanks. The elves screamed and began to retreat.

"Aw……..crap!" Sokka cried. Toph felt the vibrations of the Blue Spirit, and, without thinking, began to run towards it.

"TOPH! GET BACK HERE!" The boy screamed at the top of his lungs. He ran after her. The blind girl latched onto the beast, and started climbing. What the hell was she thinking?

The elves noticed the girl climb the creature. Some force seemed to be propelling her up the beast with superhuman speed. They slowly walked back towards the battle…

Sokka jumped onto the Blue Spirit's leg and went after Toph. She was going to get herself killed.

The Blue Spirit noticed the girl at the last second. Toph had managed to get up to the monster's left eye. She brought her fist back, and punched it as hard as she could. The creature roared, and flailed its head. Toph was flung off instantly.

She fell at a fast rate. Sokka, hanging onto the beast's knee, reached out. He managed to grab Toph's wrist.

"Are you okay?" Sokka asked as he stared at the girl dreamily.

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks for catching me…"

"No problem." Sokka smiled. He pulled up Toph and held her tight as he slowly descended.

The Blue Spirit had been rendered helpless for only a matter of seconds, but that was enough. The elves had used that opportunity to shoot at its eyes. Missiles and bullets exploded upon contact with them.

"Sir, we have weakened it, but I don't think that's enough. We need to use our…….. 'heavy artillery.'"

"I believe you're right. Unleash the strongest bombs we have…."

Sokka and Toph fled into the tunnel. They had dealt with enough…..

Suki spotted the approaching war balloon.

"Uh, Bumi. What should we do about them?" she asked. Bumi looked at the two people controlling the balloon and smiled. The servant had managed to free the Earth King, and they were trying to save the day.

"Just leave them alone. They can't do much."

"When should we set off the bomb?"

"Once I activate the full throttle on this thing. We'll need to be as far away as possible…"

Bumi was about to activate the turbo on his balloon, when an enormous roar was heard below.

Suki, Bumi, the servant, and the Earth King looked towards the ground, and saw the elves launch missiles in the sky. They rained down upon the Blue Spirit.

The creature disappeared in the blast, seemingly decimated. Smoke covered the impact area completely.

Cheers could be heard from the ground as elves celebrated their victory. The Earth King raised his hand in triumph. The servant sighed in relief; the beast was finally gone.

Suki and Bumi couldn't stop smiling.

A massive shriek emanated from the smoke. Elves screamed and ran for their lives. The Blue Spirit was far from dead, and it had jumped into the air.

The Earth King looked down and saw a drill heading directly towards the balloon.

"Holy shit!" he screamed. The balloon was hit, and it plummeted to the ground. Bumi laughed, but his balloon was also assaulted.

Both vessels crash landed on the roof of a smashed building. Its walls were decimated, and rubble continually fell. Any moment now, it would be reduced to nothing.

The Earth King lifted his head. The servant was lying face down. Blood spread out from under him.

He sat up, and saw Bumi lift Suki out from the rubble. She seemed to be barely conscious, and blood dripped from her forehead. She whispered something into Bumi's ear, and he nodded.

Bumi put Suki on the ground and walked over to the Earth King. Rage burned in his eyes.

"I have had enough of you!" he cried. He jumped in the air and punched at the king with intense force. The Earth King rolled away at the last moment, and stood back up.

Both kings, each one with the past face of their opponent, glared at each other. Only one would leave the city alive.

Suki had developed the perfect strategy for victory. An idea had sprung up in her mind as she saw the two combatants. She reached in her pocket and took out the surgical machine she had used on both men before.

Something in her mind told her that help was going to arrive soon for the Earth King. Being the trickster she was, she wanted to make this more interesting. She would make both men look like Bumi with scars on his face. When help arrived, they would be torn between which Bumi was the real one. They would kill one of the men, hoping that the Earth King remained alive. Each man had a 50-50 chance of surviving. How cliché.

Suki pressed a button, and the real Bumi fell and cringed in pain. The Earth King stared in horror at the man. His face seemed to be torn apart, and put together again; just like a jigsaw puzzle.

After a minute, he rose. His normal face was back, but scars covered it.

Both Bumis looked at each other; they were now mirror images of themselves. They circled around each other, waiting for the moment to strike.

One Bumi struck out with a right-side elbow attack, and then twisted his body around in a fast knee strike. The other Bumi dodged both blows and sliced his left foot in the air. He missed the other Bumi's neck by inches.

A Bumi quickly twisted around and lashed out with all his strength, his foot swinging towards his target. He only hit empty air. The other Bumi had sprung back and twisted, causing the kick to miss his abdomen by an inch.

The Bumi tried to follow through with a front jab, but the other one blocked the attack with his right arm. He retaliated with a blow to the side, and a Bumi was propelled to the ground. Red spots danced in front of his eyes.

Meanwhile, in the Earth Nation palace, Xin Fu got into his own balloon. He had seen the crash, and knew that the king was in trouble. He flew as fast as he could…

The fallen Bumi had stood up and reentered the battle. He lunged forward and lashed out at his opponent; a whirl of jabbing elbows, knees, and fists came before the other Bumi.

A right hook caught him on the side of the face and his whole head jerked around, a spasm of pain traveling down his neck and spine. The assaulting Bumi followed through with a side knee to the ribs. One Bumi hit the hard concrete of the building.

He got back on his feet, but he didn't stay there for long. The other Bumi kicked him in the stomach and followed through with a much-harder kick straight into the face. A flower of blood erupted into the sky.

A Bumi crashed down on his back and lay still. The other Bumi approached his fallen opponent……

Dim lights illuminated the path of the tunnel. Sokka held onto Toph's hand as tight as he could, afraid that she would disappear if he let go. An eerie silence filled the air.

About halfway through, Sokka spotted a figure that looked familiar. Toph felt the vibrations of the figure, and confirmed who it was.

"Aang?" she asked out loud. Upon hearing her question, Sokka ran towards the monk, who seemed to be all alone.

"Aang, are you okay?" Sokka asked cautiously. He placed his hand on Aang's shoulder.

Toph's eyes opened wide. Something felt different about the boy. His vibrations seemed dim; almost as if his heart had stopped. They felt familiar. She had definitely felt the dimness before.

"Uh, Sokka…." Toph cried softly. Aang's vibrations shared a similarity with the zombies that were invading the city. The worst must have occurred…

Before Sokka could respond, Aang's head slowly turned. His eyes had turned a deep red, and blood stained his face.

The water-tribe boy screamed, and he backed away. Aang was now a zombie. He feared what had happened to Katara and Zuko.

In a flash, hundreds of zombies crawled out of holes in the walls. Sokka turned around, hoping to retreat, but came face to face with numerous other fiends.

"Hang on, Toph…." He called out. Sokka grabbed Toph and carried her on his shoulders. She shrieked as she was lifted off of the ground.

"What are you doing?" she asked, struggling to get back to the ground.

"I need you to trust me, Toph."

"……I trust you more than anyone, Sokka…."

"Great. Now hang on!" Sokka shouted as he took out his axe. Carrying it in his left hand, and supporting Toph with his right, he ran forward. He flailed his hand around like crazy, slicing through numerous zombies. He finally made it to Aang, but he froze upon seeing the boy.

Even though Aang was a zombie, Sokka couldn't bring himself to kill the boy. Aang was his friend. The water-tribe boy had already been forced to murder Jet. He couldn't possibly live with the knowledge that he killed two of his friends.

A swoosh sounded, and the zombie fell. An arrow had been lodged in his brain.

Sokka looked ahead and glimpsed a man holding a bow and a quiver of arrows. The man had a small head and a gray beard. A serious look was implanted on his face.

"Are you two alright?" he asked. Sokka and Toph nodded. The man sighed in relief. "Good; I feared that I was too late…"

"Who are you?" Sokka asked. The man smiled and turned away.

"Your friends are waiting for you in the train. A boy immune to the zombie virus and a girl are there. You'd better hurry. They might leave you behind!"

Sokka's heart leapt as he heard this. Katara and Zuko must be okay!

"Thank you. Is the way to the train safe?" Sokka asked. The man nodded, and the boy began to walk away.

"You both were operated on by that machine, weren't you?" The man said suddenly. Sokka turned towards him.

"Uh, yeah. What's the problem?"

"Two of those were created. You have one; the girl with the white makeup has the other…."

Sokka knew who he meant. Suki must have taken one of the machines from the crazed doctor. That's why he had been so hostile…..

The man spoke again. "These machines hold magnificent power; too much power. Sure, they give you world-changing abilities, but they also reduce your life force. I can sense that you two only have two months to live. You must gain the other machine and smash them both together. Only then will the power vanish, and your souls will be saved."

"How…..do you know this?"

"I was the one who created the machines. Fearing their power, I foolishly gave them to some doctor. I told him that they would change the world for the better. I lied in order to get them away from me. I am such a coward…." The man then looked towards the ground.

Sokka looked over the man, not knowing what to think. It was because of him that the water-tribe boy was still alive. Of course, the man also said that he and Toph would be dead in two months...

The man looked back at Sokka.

"I promise you; I will help you and your friends as much as I can. Now, leave this damned city! There is no hope for it…" The man shouted. He started to run down the tunnel, but quickly turned around.

"Remember, Sokka: 'Ba'ad az ar tariki, roshani ast.'" With that final word, the man with the small head and gray beard ran deeper into the tunnel, shooting anything that moved.

Sokka was perplexed. What did that statement mean? And how did the man know his name?

He shook his head and carried Toph towards the train. They were finally home free…

Xin Fu approached the building and saw that two figures, both looking like King Bumi, were locked into a fight. One of them was knocked over, and the other one prepared to finish them off.

The servant had previously told him that King Bumi had switched places with the Earth King. Some machine had surgically altered both of their appearances. Maybe, that same machine had been used once again. How else could there be two Bumis?

Xin Fu landed and jumped out of his balloon. The servant was bleeding, and some girl was lying down on the other side of the building. He ran towards the fight.

"Freeze!" Xin Fu shouted. The assaulting Bumi looked at the man. The Bumi on the ground didn't seem to hear him.

"Xin Fu! About time you showed up! Help me finish this fiend." The standing Bumi said. Xin Fu went into battle stance.

"How can I be sure that you're not the real Bumi?"

"Well……I am winning the fight. The good guy always wins. It's a cliché!" The Bumi said. Xin Fu stepped closer.

"I SAID, 'How can I be sure that you're not the real Bumi?'"

The man didn't answer. He didn't know what to say. Suddenly, he lifted his head and smiled. It was a huge grin.

"I know how much I pay you to work for me." The Bumi said. Suddenly, something flashed into his mind. He blinked, and looked around. What had happened?

"How much do you pay me?"

"…..Uh……5 gold pieces a day, right?"

"No!" Xin Fu screamed. He looked down at the Bumi on the ground. He was frowning at the other man. He started to speak.

"This man is truly sad. He thinks he could fool a smart man like you, Xin Fu. The real answer is…..nothing. I do not pay you for your services. But, after today, I will make sure you get paid five gold pieces every hour!" The Bumi on the ground said. His frown implanted itself into Xin Fu's mind.

The man knew that King Bumi barely ever frowned. He was always seen with a big, stupid grin on his face. The Bumi who was standing was currently smiling in an odd fashion. Xin Fu knew who his enemy was.

He picked up the injured Bumi and placed him gently on his feet. He then launched himself forward and slammed the assaulting Bumi in the face. He grabbed the man by the neck and dragged him to the edge of the building.

"Let…….me……go…….you imbecile!" The Bumi snarled. Another flash zapped through his mind. He started snorting; an obvious sign that this was Bumi.

"Go to hell!" Xin Fu screamed. Lifting the Bumi off of his feet by his neck, he tossed him off the building with an incredible force. The man smashed into the ground, and was no more. The king was defeated.

Suki slowly stood up and snuck into Xin Fu's balloon. She prepared to take off.

A Bumi, who had to be the Earth King, patted Xin Fu on the shoulder.

"I don't know how to thank you, Xin Fu. For a moment, I thought you were going to kill me."

"Oh, please. There's no way I would mistake you for that fiend." Both men started laughing, and they walked towards the balloon.

The servant, lying in a puddle of blood, lifted his head. He saw Xin Fu walking off with a man who looked like King Bumi. He sighed in relief. The Earth King had survived the crash.

He stood up and ran after them. Before he could catch up, though, he spotted someone in the balloon. Suki was hiding in it. She was going to assassinate them!

"GUYS! BUMI'S GIRL IS IN THERE!" He screamed. Both men looked at him. Bumi, who had to be the Earth King, grinned.

"I knew her plan would work." He said. He laughed maniacally, snorting like crazy.

The servant's blood ran cold. That wasn't the Earth King…

"WATCH OUT!" The servant cried. Xin Fu started to leave Bumi's side, but he was too late. King Bumi stabbed the man in the back with a katana. The light left Xin Fu's eyes. He realized, in the last moments of his life, that he had murdered the Earth King. Bumi had won. A tear fell from his eye, and he wheezed as the sword left his body. He collapsed and lay still.

The servant, without thinking, sprinted for Bumi. The man laughed and kicked him. The servant went flying.

"Let's get out of here." Bumi said. He jumped into the balloon, and he and Suki left the ground.

The girl smiled to herself. Her plan had worked. The surgical alteration had fooled Xin Fu. She also discovered another ability the machine had.

It could transfer thoughts and traits between people. She had made the Earth King forget the answer to the question about Xin Fu's earnings, and gave it to Bumi instead. She had also managed to make the Earth King snort right before he was hurtled off the building….

What else could this machine do? Only time would tell….

The servant stood up and sobbed. Everything had gone wrong. He had failed to protect the king.

He had failed to save the world.

The building started to shake violently. Before he knew it, it collapsed right under his feet. He fell into unconsciousness….

A strange man with a small head and gray beard emerged out of the tunnel. He carried an empty quiver. He had run out of ammo.

He came upon the rubble of a destroyed building and found a man dressed in royal garb. He must be one of the Dai Li, the Earth King's servants.

He picked him up and glimpsed another body. King Bumi lay in a small crater formed in the ground. The man shook his head; that must be the Earth King. He had been defeated. He had been destroyed, just like this city would soon be.

Carrying the servant's unconscious body, the man ran back into the tunnels and climbed into the sewers………..

Katara heard footsteps emanating from the tunnels. She feared that more zombies were closing in.

"Zuko, do you hear that?" She asked softly. He nodded, but said nothing.

Two figures approached the train. Katara screamed, but fell silent when her eyes came upon their faces.

"You're alive!" she cried in disbelief as she saw Sokka and Toph. Zuko let them in, and they sat down. Sokka sighed in relief. He had made it through the city. He was alive.

"Where's Jet?" Zuko asked softly. Sokka frowned and looked away.

"Jet's…gone. He………left the city." Sokka said, thinking of what to say at this moment. Jet had told him to keep his death a secret.

"He escaped!?" Zuko asked. His eyes sparkled. Sokka nodded; a grim expression on his face. Zuko didn't see the look, and he smiled to himself. He knew that he would see Jet again….

The train began to roll out of the city. Everyone looked behind and saw the Blue Spirit, still alive and kicking, swiping at buildings.

Toph and Sokka decided against telling Katara and Zuko about the grim news they heard. In two months, they would be dead, unless they managed to reclaim the other machine Suki had. They felt that it would be better to keep everything they learned a secret.

Toph walked into another cabin of the train. Sokka, wondering what was wrong, followed her.

"You okay?" he asked. He put his hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah. I'm just tired. A lot happened these past hours." Toph replied. She smiled softly at the water-tribe boy, causing his heart to flutter.

"I know what you mean…" he said quietly. Suddenly, he found himself face-to-face with the blind girl. They both blushed as their lips met.

After a moment, they both leaned out of the kiss. Sokka stared into Toph's blurred eyes. He felt at peace with himself.

"Toph, I love you." He said. His eyes remained closed on the girl. Her cheeks turned beet red, and she smiled.

I love you too, Sokka." She declared. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and they kissed yet again.

The water-tribe boy felt like he was at the top of the world. He now had the girl of his dreams. Nothing could ruin this moment.

The sun began to rise over the city. Daylight slowly flooded Ba Sing Se. Hope seemed to be revived.

In the balloon, Bumi pressed a button. He was far enough away from the city. Now was the time to finish it all.

Suki looked at him and smiled. Ba Sing Se would now be no more. Next up; the world…

In the palace, a large object emerged from the throne. It was dome-shaped, and the letter "A" was implanted on the side. A timer, located beneath the palace, began counting down. '10…….9……..8…….7…….6……5….'

Sokka, with his arm over Toph's shoulder, walked back into the cabin that held Katara and Zuko.

Zuko had fallen asleep, his head on Katara's lap. She stroked his hair in a comforting way. The boy had gone through so much.

Sokka and Toph took their seats. The blind girl cuddled against the water-tribe boy, and for the first time in days, he was happy. Sure, he had no idea what struggles waited for him in the future, but right now, he could care less. He would find a way to deal with them, and everything would work out in the end.

Sokka cuddled along with Toph, and started to close his eyes. A proverb flashed into his mind: "After every darkness, there is a light."

The water-tribe boy believed that he had found the light it mentioned. The darkness was now a part of the past.

He was wrong. The darkness still surrounded him.

Sokka's journey was far from over…

Katara looked back towards the city. For a single moment, everything seemed serene. The Blue Spirit could not be seen. Nothing moved. Only the noise of the train could be heard.

Toph slowly lifted her head, which was now facing Ba Sing Se.

Sokka suddenly gasped. His animal instinct was sensing something massive...

A bright, white light emerged from the center of the city. Katara screamed. Zuko woke up almost instantly. He glimpsed the white light approaching at an alarming rate.

The light made no noise at all, even as it consumed everything in sight.

"What's that?" Toph asked. Sokka glimpsed at her and shivered. Her eyes had lost their fogginess. She looked up at him with perfectly-green eyes. "Is that you, Sokka?" she asked. She saw a boy with a ponytail and hair on his cheeks. He looked cute.

"Toph...can you...see?" he asked in horror. The girl nodded slowly, but then gasped. Her eyes began to fog back up again. For a brief moment, Toph lost her blindness. Sokka knew it had something to do with the surgical machine's side-effects...

Sokka held the girl tight. The light would reach the train in less than ten seconds. He kissed Toph's head. He was determined to keep her safe.

Whatever was going to happen, Sokka would be prepared. Nothing could defeat him...

Katara could not look away. The impeding light looked beautiful...in an eerie way. She prayed that all of her friends would remain safe.

"This is the worst New Year's ever." She moaned to herself. The light consumed the train, and the four friends found themselves lifted off of the ground. No one could make sense of anything anymore.

Everyone jerked in their seats. Their bodies flailed about in the train. There was no longer up or down; just absolute chaos.

They were now falling. Where to, they did not know.

Falling, falling, falling……

Under Lake Laogai, a large figure stepped out of the vita-chamber, which had yet to be closed. He wore all red, and had a large, snowy white beard. He had failed once before. It would not happen again.

The ceiling above him shook. It was as if some massive bomb had gone off in the city. Oh well, that didn't matter. All that mattered was that he got revenge.

The fat man found the exit to the underground facility he was in. This was going to be fun….

Upon emerging from the lake, the man gave out a jolly laugh.

"Ho, Ho, Ho…."


	11. The Rattlesnake in the Mailbox

Somewhere, far away from Ba Sing Se, four men sat around a computer moniter. Two were playing Pai Sho; one was watching the television; and one gazed intently out of the window. This shouldn't be taking this long. What was that man doing?

Snow twirled by the window at a rapid pace. Nothing could be seen past four feet. Silence filled the equipment room; a silence that had engulfed the building for many years now.

These four men had spent a vast majority of their lives searching for an old man shrouded in mystery. He could possibly be the key to saving the planet. Problem was, no one had seen him for at least eight years.

A girl had sent a tip to these men that their target was going to "accidentally" set off a devastating chain of events upon the world. Where he would set it off, only fate knew. According to the girl, though, a very obvious sign would give these men the target's location.

One of the men playing Pai Sho glanced at the man staring out the window. He frowned.

"Let's face it. Nothing's going to happen. The tip was probably a hoax given to us by our commander. We're just going to have to wait even longer." he said.

The man faced away from the window.

"I saw a city reduced to rubble in my dreams. We will get the message soon; I know we will."

"Sure. We all know that fate is on our sides."

"No! It's true. Our wait will soon be over."

"Okay then. Tell me when destiny calls back. If it does, I'll be happy to kiss its sodding behind."

Before the man could retort, something massive shook the room. Everything shut off: the television, the radar systems, the computer...

Outside, the snow seemed to turn a shade of dark-green. Everything else in the world turned light blue.

The four men tried to speak, but no air came out. Everything was gone. The world seemingly had died.

With a sound similar to the cracking of a whip, the power turned back on, and the environment morphed back to its original look.

The man who had been watching the television rushed to the computer. He cried out in delight.

"My God! We..........We have a reading! We Found HIM!" he shouted. He jumped to the floor and proceeded to kiss it.

The man could now be tracked. The four men geared up.

"Destiny called; they say they're waiting for you to kiss their ass."

**_THE END BEGINS_**

**_FIRST QUARTER: 2009_**


End file.
